Chapter 90 — The Girl, the Monster, and the Flame
The freckled boy froze when he saw Robin.
Fear flashed across his face—he almost shouted the word "monster."
—Shh.
Robin raised a hand, signaling him to stay quiet.
If he startled the boar now…
Everyone would die.
—Bang!
The wild boar slammed into the tree again with brute force.
The child clinging to the branches screamed as the trunk shook violently.
The bark was already cracked—
if the tree snapped, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Robin clenched her teeth.
It had to be fast, precise, and decisive—
End it in a single instant.
Her heart pounded.
Sharp eyes tracked the boar's movements,
finally locking onto its neck.
Wind…
Become the sharpest blade in this world.
—Crack!
Before anyone could react—
With a slicing gust and a cold hiss of air,
the boar's entire head was severed and fell to the ground!
Blood sprayed across the forest floor.
The child in the tree screamed and lost his grip, tumbling down.
Robin rushed forward and caught him.
"…Are you hurt?"
But the moment the child saw her face, his terror only deepened.
"Monster!!"
"It's a monster!!"
He struggled violently and broke free from her arms.
The freckled boy finally stepped out of the bushes.
He stared at Robin—
Then at the boar behind her, its body still standing, its head lying meters away.
Fresh blood pooled on the ground.
His freckled face began to tremble in pure fear.
"A monster…"
"A monster even more terrifying than the boar!"
Robin froze.
"Why… why are you like this?"
"I just—"
"I saved your lives!"
"—Who knows what your real intentions are?!"
The freckled boy screamed at her.
"A monster who burned her own parents to death—how could we ever trust you?!"
Robin listened in disbelief.
Then she turned away and walked off in silence.
So it wasn't enough to control her magic.
Perhaps…
only when she truly brought her parents back to life would they finally—
—Thunk!
A dull уар.
Pain exploded at the back of her head.
Her fragile body collapsed instantly.
As her vision faded, she saw the freckled boy standing over her,
a wooden club clenched in his hands.
"Robin, monsters like you don't deserve to live in this world."
---
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Elias finally set foot on the island controlled by the pirates.
Compared to the fishermen's island, this one was flatter and smaller.
Yet both were cloaked in dense forest—
perhaps the reason neither side had ever conquered the other.
"Brother, this way!"
Elias followed the three men into the trees.
They walked along muddy, winding paths for nearly ten minutes—
until the forest suddenly opened up.
The pirate settlement lay hidden in a clearing at its center.
Elias swept his gaze over it casually.
Wooden buildings, crude craftsmanship—
no different from the fishermen's village.
"Everyone!!"
One of the pirates shouted loudly.
"Get over here! Come meet our new brother!"
At once, pirates poured out of their huts,
closing in around Elias.
Something felt off.
Every pirate had a weapon in hand—blades, axes, harpoons.
Their hostile stares…
This didn't look like a welcome for a new companion.
At the same time, Elias noticed that the three "brothers" who had brought him here had somehow retreated behind him, grinning strangely.
"Heh heh… kid."
"You really thought a few shiny, colorful pebbles would fool us?"
"A weirdo dressed like that, with an unknown background—why would we let you join us?"
The pirates raised their blades.
Everyone else followed suit, weapons lifted.
"You've got one choice now."
"Hand over everything you've got."
"And we'll make your death quick."
Elias lowered his gaze, silent.
What a crude trap…
These pirates looked vicious, but in truth they were no different from the dull fishermen.
What treasures could idiots like this possibly have?
Elias turned around calmly.
"—Stop!"
"You think you can leave after coming all this way?!"
"Looks like you're begging to—"
—Slash!
In the next instant, blood sprayed everywhere.
With a single horizontal sweep, Elias severed every living thing standing before him—
and even carved through the forest itself, opening a clear path forward.
Heh…
It was already dark.
Looks like today had been a wasted trip.
---
The night sea lay silent.
Elias drifted alone in his boat across the vast waters.
He wondered whether Robin had spent the entire day tormenting dead ants again.
If he'd known, he should've told her the truth—that the dead cannot be revived.
Just then—
Elias caught sight of a crimson glow.
He narrowed his eyes.
In the distance, the fishermen's island was ablaze.
The sea and sky were dyed blood-red.
---
Ten minutes earlier.
Robin floated in a haze, trying to open her eyes—
but darkness dragged her down relentlessly.
Fragments of memory drifted through her mind, all of them ending with the moment she'd been knocked unconscious.
Unease crept in.
Through the fog, she heard voices…
"What?! She didn't even use a blade and still decapitated a huge boar?!"
"If she turns that thing on us, what do we do?!"
"Hmph. We've endured her for over ten years already. Might as well take this chance—"
"Right! That monster is afraid of fire. We can burn her to death!"
—Fire.
The instant she heard the word, her chaotic world erupted into flames.
Robin forced her eyes open, struggling to scream—
Heat surged up from her feet.
She had finally met Elias.
Finally learned how to control her magic.
She couldn't die here!
Robin desperately imagined awakening—
—and snapped her eyes open within the sea of fire!
The villagers cried out in alarm.
"She's awake!"
"The monster's awake!"
"Hurry! Add more fire!!"
Only then did Robin realize—
Her hands and feet were tightly bound, tied to a tall wooden frame.
Below her, flames roared.
Sparks scorched her ankles.
The villagers surrounding her stared with fear, hatred, and rage—
All waiting for her to burn to death.
The searing heat awakened distant memories.
She suddenly remembered the night her parents were swallowed by flames.
And another forgotten fragment, buried in the cold winter of that same year.
That day, her ears had suddenly ached—
and she heard waves crashing from miles away.
Then she heard hushed voices.
"That little monster from the Green family will be a huge problem someday."
"We should find a way to drive them out of the village—send them to another island."
"Tricky. But if there were a big fire… one that burned their house down…"
"Hiss… that might work. We could tamper with the stove."
---
"Heh… heh heh…"
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Robin suddenly burst into manic laughter.
Her twisted face looked like that of a demon.
"Monsters…"
"So you are the real monsters!!!"
With a furious roar, Robin tore free of her restraints.
The villagers erupted in panic.
"Then let this fire—lit by your own hands—"
"Bury you monsters…"
"COMPLETELY!!!"