As soon as Mira left the room, that floating message appeared before him again.
"Failed to create the perfect story. Do you wish to continue or restart?"
The message was filled with vague meanings. What did it mean by "story"? And what was "restart"? These questions crowded the boy's mind, yet none had answers. Lost in thought, he muttered unconsciously:
"What is this… restart?"
The message vanished, then reappeared with new content:
"Restart selected. The story will be adjusted. Please enjoy."
—What the—
The boy suddenly found himself covered in wounds, pain ravaging his body as blood continued to pour out. The demonic hounds surrounded him from every side—it was exactly the same situation as before.
"Ahh… hasn't this ended yet?" Kid groaned in pain and confusion.
But something was different. This wasn't exactly the same. The boy now possessed something he didn't yet understand—demonic energy.
"There has to be a solution to this… a way where I don't pass out and the knight doesn't die."
Kid picked up a rock, somewhat sharp at the edges. He stepped back with his left foot and raised his arms in front of his face. He looked ready to fight, though his stance was clumsy—like a small child about to face a tiger. Fear surged through his body.
He knew full well he couldn't win.
So he threw the rock at the forehead of the dog on his left. The hounds lunged in that direction, even if only for a brief moment before realizing it was just a distraction—but it was already too late. Kid used that fleeting opportunity to break through the encirclement and successfully escaped, running toward where he had left the knight moments earlier.
He ran and ran—his life depended on his legs.
"Huff… huff… huff… where's the knight?"
He was certain this was the place, yet there was no sign of the knight anywhere nearby.
Then he noticed something shining behind a rock. He rushed toward it, hoping to find the knight—but to no avail.
All he found was a sword—the same sword that belonged to the mysterious knight.
The boy didn't think much of it. He wasn't kind enough to let his guard down while searching for a stranger. He had already begun to realize that this place was nothing like the peaceful world he once knew.
"It's savage… brutally so, almost laughable."
He suddenly heard approaching footsteps and immediately hid behind the rock. It was Mira, accompanied by several knights—but her expression was cold, nothing like the innocent girl he had seen before.
"Find the stolen item. That bastard didn't confess—it looks like he threw it here."
Kid held his breath, not wanting Mira to find him. Even though she had seemed kind at first, he couldn't understand this sudden change. It was impossible to judge someone's true nature from a single encounter, but at least he had formed a positive impression of her.
Yet judging by her behavior now… everything he had assumed was wrong.