He sensed that Meli had escaped the lock-on range of his beast instincts.
A brief flash of disappointment crossed Green's eyes, followed by a surge of near-manic violence.
"You should stop with the arrogant talk. You probably don't have many resurrections left from that Cursed Doll, do you?"
Green's words caused Elsa, whose form was gradually dissipating, to look on in shock.
"Oh my, Mr. Beast's intelligence is quite extensive. Could you be associated with the organization..."
Before she could finish, Green's thumb slid toward her abdomen and pressed down hard.
The piercing pain instantly cut off Elsa's words; a suppressed groan escaped her throat as her muscles suddenly tensed.
"By the way, Miss gut ripper, have you ever seen your own intestines?"
Squelch—
Green suddenly applied force with his thumb, brutally caving in Elsa's stomach and crushing her warm flesh out of shape.
Then, he pushed his thumb upward ruthlessly, like squeezing toothpaste, forcing all of Elsa's mangled internal organs toward her throat.
"Gah—"
Foul blood mixed with fragments of internal organs erupted from her mouth, and a morbid fanaticism burned in Elsa's crimson eyes.
"My intestines... ha... hahaha... how beautiful..."
At that moment, the poison spread throughout Elsa's body; the burning sensation intensified, and the crisp sound of bones snapping followed one after another.
Her body curled and collapsed in a bizarre posture, her flesh and bones dissolving into dust within the potent poison.
Within a few breaths, that body, which could always be reborn from the brink of death, completely lost its human form.
Only a charred, severed arm remained in a sword-gripping pose, but it too crumbled away in the wind, scattering into the rotting leaves on the ground.
Green stood there, his dark-gold vertical pupils staring at the pile of black ash scattered among the fallen leaves, muttering to himself:
"What a tenacious fellow."
...Back at Aram Village, Green had returned to his human form.
The forest fence was crowded with villagers holding torches high.
The flickering firelight illuminated the village entrance as bright as day, dispelling the lingering scent of blood and violence from the night forest, and warming this land that had just escaped catastrophe.
In the sea of people with waving torches, there was no fear, only deep gratitude.
Petra's parents were the first to approach; their eyes were red as they stumbled toward Green.
Before he could steady himself, they dropped to their knees and bowed, their sobbing voices filled with endless relief: "Lord Green! Thank you... thank you for saving my child! Thank you for driving those monsters away!"
"Haha, it's Big Brother Green. I knew he could do it!"
"If it weren't for Lord Green, our village would have been destroyed by those monsters!"
"It was terrifying. Even from far away, we could hear those horrifying roars and impacts!"
Petra squeezed out of the crowd and suddenly threw herself into Green's arms.
"Waaa... Brother Green, I'm so glad you're okay..."
Ram leaned against the fence, looking soft and weak.
"Making the girl cry the moment you show up, how lewd."
Rem looked at Green with a complicated expression. After confirming he had no wounds, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Green comforted Petra: "Good girl, you were even braver than Little Red Riding Hood today."
He looked up at the gathered villagers and spoke loudly: "Everyone, there's no need to crowd around here. It's late, go back and get some rest."
"We will also come to check the forest Barrier regularly from now on; we won't let monsters approach the village easily again."
The villagers were moved and still refused to disperse. Someone pressed a warm wheat cake into his hand, saying earnestly:
"Lord Green, please accept this at least, it's a small token of our gratitude! The night is cold; it's good to have something in your stomach."
A woman also held a cloth bundle containing clean strips of cloth and ointment, insisting he take them, fearing he had suffered hidden injuries during the fight.
Green didn't refuse too much; he took a wheat cake in his palm and nodded to everyone, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Thank you all for your kindness, I've accepted it. However, I need to return to the Mansion to protect it, so I won't delay any further tonight."
He gently pushed Petra from his arms, wiped the tear stains from her cheeks, and whispered softly:
"Go back to sleep, Petra. The village is safe now."
Petra nodded vigorously, tugged at the corner of his clothes for a moment, and then ran back to her parents, looking back every few steps.
Seeing this, the villagers consciously stepped back to both sides, clearing a path, their eyes full of reverence.
"Safe travels, Lord Green! If you ever need anything in the future, everyone in Aram Village is at your beck and call!"
Green waved his hand to everyone, turned to look at Ram leaning against the fence, then glanced at Rem standing nearby, his tone becoming playful again:
"Let's go, time to head back to the Mansion. But looking at Ram, she probably can't walk anymore. Do you want me to carry you on my back?"
Ram snorted coldly, propped herself up against the fence to stand straight, and wiped her pale lips, still stubborn:
"Ram doesn't need help from a degenerate. Rem, support me."
Rem stepped forward, steadily supporting Ram's arm, and looked up at Green, the complexity in her eyes quickly fading.
"Green-kun, let's go."
Green nodded and said no more, walking toward the village exit... After a while, Green noticed Ram's irregular breathing.
This girl's state wasn't much better than his; her mana was completely drained.
Green stared at Ram in thought for a moment, then on a sudden impulse, he bit his finger and pressed the wound against the broken horn on Ram's forehead.
This was one of the most sensitive spots on Ram's body; her body trembled the moment he touched it.
"Green, what on earth are you doing?"
"Don't move, Ram. I'm doing an experiment."
Rustle, rustle.
Withered yellow leaves began to fall from the surrounding trees.
Green quietly activated the Blessing of the Forest. He didn't manifest a beast's body but simply extracted life energy from the nearby plants.
Blood radiating a life aura gradually soaked the stump of Ram's oni horn.
This blood was still connected to his main body; not only did it not sprout flowers, but it also slowly permeated into the horn tissue.
"Feeling better, Ram?"
Ram only felt a warmth at the stump, and a bit of mana surged in along with it.
This was her first time seeing such a mana replenishment method; it was much gentler than directly injecting mana.
The extra mana in her body didn't come from Green.
Instead, under the stimulation of the Life Blood, the stump of the oni horn briefly regained its function, thus autonomously absorbing the free mana in the air.
Ram deliberately maintained a calm exterior, but her fingertips couldn't help but curl slightly, and a very faint flush flickered in her eyes as her eyelashes trembled.
"Stop it, Green!"
Ram turned her head away, breaking the connection with Green.
Her mana had indeed recovered a little, but it couldn't continue.
Because it felt too comfortable; if she didn't break it off, she might let out a soft moan.
Green didn't quite understand and said seriously:
"What's wrong, Ram? After all, you exhausted your mana to help me clear out the curse-casting beasts. I really wanted to thank you."
After learning that the curse could only be broken by killing the caster, the sisters had immediately driven the dragon carriage straight into the forest.
Because they had no way of telling which Ulgarum did it, the two simply began an indiscriminate purge in the woods.
At that time, Green had suddenly appeared in his giant beast form, giving the sisters quite a scare.
After a moment's thought, Rem had charged straight in with her morning star—she probably thought this beast, being the largest, must be the culprit behind the curse.
"Hmph!"
Ram snorted and said tsundere-ly, "Don't flatter yourself, you mere beast. Ram only came to the forest to pick mushrooms."
"Haha, Ram, you're so cute."
...In Roswaal's Mansion.
Having just returned, Green raised his hands like he was going through security, waiting for Emilia's inspection.
Emilia looked at Green's arms and then lifted his pant legs.
Finally, seeing nothing unusual, Emilia breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew~ At least there aren't any weird wounds this time."
Green was somewhat speechless: "I shouldn't be that unlucky, right?"
"Honestly, what took you so long? Everyone was very worried about you."
Emilia put her hands on her hips and looked at Green reproachfully.
Green straightened his disheveled clothes and replied: "I couldn't help it; the villagers were too enthusiastic, especially those kids."
The villagers of Aram Village were very simple and clear about their debts of gratitude. If they hadn't seen that Green and the others were exhausted, they would have definitely held a bonfire party.
Although they were allowed to leave, they found that the dragon carriage had been stuffed with gifts before they set off. The Earth Dragon-kun walked like it was plowing a field, running with great difficulty.
"By the way, where did Rem go?"
Green looked around but couldn't see her.
Emilia pointed to the second floor on the east side of the Mansion:
"That child suffered quite a few injuries. She went back to her room to rest after the treatment was finished, but she'll likely need to recover for a few days."
"I see. I wanted to thank her in person."
Green looked disappointed, then suddenly had a bright idea and said happily:
"I know! How about I take care of Rem while she's recovering?"
Emilia looked at Green skeptically: "You want to take care of Rem, Green? But I heard Ram say you only know how to eat. Can you really do it?"
"What! She said that about me in private? Dammit, tomorrow I'll show her whose nutritious breakfast tastes better!"
...After saying goodnight to Emilia, Green dragged his tired body back to his room.
He slowly pushed open the door and walked in with his eyes closed.
After the series of fierce battles today, his eyelids were already fighting to stay open. At this moment, he just wanted to collapse onto the bed and sleep soundly.
Relying on his memory, Green took a leap of faith and dove straight toward the bed.
His hands groped around randomly, but a strange sensation left him confused.
"That's not right. How did my big bed get so small? Holy crap, who put two pythons on my bed?"
Forcing himself through the drowsiness, Green managed to open one eyelid, but the sight before him made him freeze instantly.
This wasn't his bedroom at all; it was clearly Betty's Forbidden Library.
What was beneath him wasn't his spacious bed, but an exquisite and delicate Princess Bed.
"You rude fellow, how much longer are you going to stay on Betty's lap?"
Betty knit her small brows and glared at him unpleasantly, her forehead twitching, her tone full of disgust.
"Oh... it's just Betty."
Green immediately felt relieved. Completely ignoring the little girl's eye-roll, he simply leaned his head back and closed his eyes to nap.
"Always acting like you're so close to Betty, it's really infuriating."
Betty clenched her tiny fist and lightly tapped Green's forehead.
The force was so light it didn't seem like she was venting her anger, but rather like she was giving him a head massage.
In truth, this was just a little trick the girl used to hide her true feelings.
The moment her fingertips touched Green, she had secretly channeled mana to scan his body thoroughly.
Fortunately, this time, there were no lingering traces of any spells on Green's body.
Betty quietly breathed a sigh of relief, the weight finally lifting from her heart.
This gentle Great Spirit could never stand to see someone she knew die before her eyes.
"To almost have your life taken by such a half-baked fellow, Betty is at a loss for words."
"Shoo, shoo—" Betty waved her hand dismissively. "Now get out of Betty's sight immediately."
Having noticed Betty's little actions, Green not only didn't leave but even pushed his luck by pulling his legs up onto the bed.
"No can do. I'm seriously injured. I'll just have to wrong myself and make do here for the night."
Betty's fierce expression gradually deflated.
"Sigh, your skin is thick enough to defend against magic. Don't you have your own room?"
Hearing this, Green had a flash of inspiration. He looked up at Betty, pressed his hands together, and pleaded pitifully:
"Big Sis, I really don't have any strength left. Please, most benevolent and kind Great Spirit Betty, let me stay here for a while and protect me in the meantime."
"Pretty please, the world's most, most, most gentle Great Spirit Betty."
"Enough already, you troublesome fellow."
Betty moved off the bed, giving up the space.
Complex emotions swirled in her crystalline blue eyes—resistance, hesitation, and a hidden longing she hadn't even noticed herself.
After a long while, Betty sighed heavily, walked over to Green, and reached out her small hand.
Green was overjoyed and pressed his palm against hers.
Betty looked away and muttered:
"Betty will abide by the temporary contract. I will ensure your safety while you are weak. For now, just prostrate yourself at Betty's feet and recover."
...The next day.
"Good morning, Rem-chan!"
Green pushed open the door to Rem's room and walked in carrying today's nutritious breakfast.
Rem was leaning against the headboard with a worn housework notebook spread across her lap.
Her Fingers paused when she heard the noise. She looked up at Green in surprise and replied softly, "Good morning, Green-kun."
"Why are you up instead of resting properly so early in the morning?"
Green pulled over a chair and placed the breakfast tray on the nightstand.
Rem had changed into loose, off-white loungewear. Without the sharpness of her maid uniform, she looked a bit more fragile.
She pointed to the densely packed items in the housework notebook.
"Rem can't stay in bed forever; there are so many things to do."
Green made a grand, showy wave of his hand:
"Eh~ Just rest easy. I've already taken care of all the housework you're responsible for!"
Just as Green said this, Ram's irritable voice rang out from the hallway.
"That damn rat, where is he hiding now! Using a mop without even washing it clean—now there are streaks everywhere. He'd better not let Ram catch him!"
"Crap!"
Green quickly ran to the door and closed it gently, not daring to let a single sound escape.
"Haha, hahaha... Green-kun... you always manage to do something incredible."
Rem clutched her stomach and laughed happily, as if she had been holding it in for a long time.
"Ram is just nitpicking. That's how I used to mop back when I was in school."
Rem wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "It seems Green-kun's teacher was also quite pitiable."
"Ugh, don't mention that old geezer. Come, try the potato mash meat porridge I cooked myself."
As he spoke, Green picked up the breakfast bowl and scooped a spoonful of porridge with a silver spoon.
Green's movements paused strangely when the spoon was in mid-air, and then he moved it to Rem's lips.
"You should blow on it yourself. After all, I'm a boy, it wouldn't be appropriate."
Rem was slightly dazed, a light pink flush rising to her cheeks. She instinctively wanted to reach out and do it herself, but Green gently pressed down on her wrist.
"Don't move, don't move. You're an injured patient right now; just move your mouth."
Green's tone carried an undeniable assertiveness. The warmth from his fingertips through the fabric made Rem's heart skip a beat for no reason.