“Oh, Mama? Honey? Mama???”
The pig’s eyes widened in shock before tilting its head in confusion. It then struggled to get up and waddled toward the lifeless body of Mama Pig.
“Ahhh, no, honey. Oh, Mama, oh, Mamaaaaaaaa!!!!”
The pig sprinted. With those stubby, chubby legs, it ran and ran like a maniac. Snorting wildly, tears flying everywhere—it barreled forward like an infant pig desperate to reach its mother’s embrace.
We just let it be. We wanted the pig to fully realize what it had done.
But why? Why does this feel so off? That waddling run… something feels unnatural about it. If it were running toward Mama Pig, it should’ve slowed down by now as it approached her.
Yet for some reason, the pig’s speed only increased, its belly bouncing while gasping for breath.
“Wait… could it possibly…”
No way, right? There’s no way—even if this pig is garbage that deserves to be ground into paste—it wouldn’t do THAT, would it?
Ariel wore the same uneasy expression I did. But Elise…
“KYAAHAHAHA! Turns out this guy was even more shameless trash than I thought~!”
Elise’s reaction confirmed my suspicion. And with that, I bolted. The pig didn’t even slow down near Mama Pig’s corpse; it zipped right past it.
“HAHAHAHAHA! You fools! Thanks to Mama, we’re safe from danger, fools! I was getting anxious since there wasn’t anything left to sell after selling Mama, but look at this help! Mama really is the best, fools!!!”
“You insane piece of garbage sc*m!!!!!”
I screamed until my throat burned. No way I’m letting this slide. I gave him time to mourn his mom out of whatever shred of humanity I had left, but he used that time to escape? YOU’RE NOT FORGIVEN!!! NEVER!!!
“KYAAHAHAHA! Are you mad? Your face is redder than a tomato~”
[You think NOW is the time for jokes!? We need to catch that damned pig and beat him senseless!!]
Elise and Ariel quickly caught up with me thanks to their superior athleticism. They surged ahead, leaving me in the dust. d*mn it, I should’ve exercised more! Still, having them around makes me feel safer. Meanwhile, the pig managed to escape the field and enter the forest despite its chunky frame.
But with Elise and Ariel’s speed, catching up to him would be a breeze. Especially Elise, who overtook Ariel effortlessly.
“KYAAHAHAHA~ Tag, you’re IT! If you get caught, I’ll carve you up and fry your bacon~”
“EEEKKKKK!!!”
Suddenly, we heard the pig squeal somewhere deep within the woods. We slowed our pace, eventually stopping altogether because there was no longer any need to chase. Right in front of us stood the pig—not standing, but floating mid-air, flailing its legs desperately. Its face was gripped tightly by a wolf towering at least three meters tall.
Behind this colossal wolf stood several others, lined up solemnly. I couldn’t help but gawk at their size. How on earth are they THIS big?
“Hmm, these guys?”
The giant wolf had a prominent burn scar on one side of its face, yet its voice remained eerily calm.
“You were the ones who maimed our pups, weren’t you?”
I swallowed hard as I stared at a mouth capable of swallowing half my body in one bite.
“Uh, are you the boss of those wolves?”
“Yes. I’m the boss of those incompetent brats. Word reached me that our merchandise escaped, so I came here personally.”
“Ah, I see…”
Wow, check out those claws. They’re twice the size of the other wolves’. One swing from those paws could probably crush a bull’s skull without breaking a sweat.
“Huh~ So this ‘merchandise’ includes us too?”
Elise crossed her arms and looked up at the wolf casually. The wolf smirked disdainfully.
“Yes, you’re included.”
[What nonsense is this?! WE aren’t merchandise! This pig sold us without permission! Do you want to end up as kebabs?!]
Ariel instantly conjured a trident made of water, glaring fiercely. The wolf didn’t flinch under her threat.
“Nope, you’re all merchandise. The moment this fatty sold you, you became mine. Those already in my stomach cried the same thing. Ah~ Their meat was so tender. Yours intrigues me too. And you…”
The wolf brought the pig closer to his snout, smirking as he sniffed it. The pig tried to scream but was silenced when the wolf clamped a massive hand over its mouth, producing only faint muffled sounds.
“Hmm~ Such a tantalizing scent of bl**d. All this excess fat makes your bl**d smell rich and greasy.”
The wolf pressed his nose against the pig’s pudgy hand, inhaling deeply before licking it with a thick tongue. The pig squirmed in agony, but the wolf paid no mind and opened his jaws wide.
With a single crunch, the wolf bit clean through the pig’s arm. It happened so smoothly, almost elegantly. The pig hadn’t realized what happened until the wolf pulled back, revealing the gruesome stump where its arm used to be. Its eyes bulged out in horror, tears welling up as it let out a guttural, agonized squeal despite being unable to speak properly.
“Mmm, delicious foreleg. Very satisfying. Better than your siblings.”
“Uuuuuughhhhh!!!”
“Haha, painful, huh? Don’t worry, this is just the beginning. I kept you alive this long solely to capture your entire family. Now that you’re the last one left, it’s simply your turn to join my stomach. Accept this honor humbly.”
As the wolf prepared to devour the other hand, Elise swung her staff directly at his face.
CLANG!!
Metallic friction rang out. The wolf didn’t block it himself. Instead, another wolf missing an eye successfully deflected the blow with an axe. However, his expression wasn’t pleasant—the edge of the axe vibrated violently.
“What the hell is this eating contest about? That pig belongs to US! Who gave YOU permission to eat it?”
The wolf leader glanced briefly at Elise and us before baring sharp fangs in a sinister grin.
“I already said it. You’re ALL my merchandise. Everyone, prepare for dinner.”
“YEEESSS!!”
The axe-wielding wolf shoved Elise away, creating distance between them. Surrounding us, the other wolves brandished terrifying weapons seemingly out of nowhere, encircling me and Ariel.
“Gah, stay back!”
I drew my scythe, while Ariel created ominous water droplets around her with an extremely irritated look.
[How dare you threaten my PRINCE?! Not only did you steal our garbage pig, but now you’re pulling THIS cr*p? Prepare to d*e!]
“Hmph! What a cheeky little girl! Whatever tricks you pulled, we’re elite warriors! Trash like you…”
THUD. The wolf busy flicking his tongue suddenly collapsed forward. A small hole pierced his forehead, leaking a mix of brain matter and bl**d. He froze mid-insult, becoming a cold corpse instantly.
Ariel pointed her finger like a g*n, blowing on it mockingly.
[Who’s next? Feel free to join him.]
“Ki-k*ll them!!!”
Despite witnessing their comrade drop dead instantly, the so-called “elite” wolves charged recklessly, swinging their deadly weapons. Ariel fought valiantly at the front lines, holding them off, but eventually, one wolf spotted an opening and lunged at me.
[PRINCE, WATCH OUT!!!]
“Dieeee!!!”
The wolf swung a massive sword, drooling profusely. Barely managing to lift my scythe, I struggled to defend myself.
Elisel tried to assist, but doing so would leave her vulnerable to the overwhelming attacks from the front. She hesitated, alternating between glaring daggers at me and slaughtering wolves.
[Hang in there, Prince!!]
“Ughh, I’ll try!!”
“HAAAAAAHAAHAHAHA! Weak! You’ll make a perfect meat patty once minced!”
What the hell is this lunatic saying?! Each clash between the wolf’s sword and my scythe sent vibrations through my bones. His attacks may be simple, but his strength is monstrous, especially considering how heavy my scythe is. Blocking alone drained buckets of sweat from me.
I glanced desperately at Elise, who was locked in fierce combat with her own opponent. Looks like no one’s coming to save me—I gotta handle this myself!
“HAAAAAAHAAHAHAHA! Smell that? The stench of fear! Wetting yourself already?”
“NO, I’M NOT WETTING MYSELF!!!”
WHOOSH! The wolf’s blade sliced through the air. Fearing for my life, I barely dodged instead of trying to block it with my cumbersome scythe. Missing swings create openings—and this was my chance!
This is it!
“RAAAAAHHHH!!!”
I roared and swung my scythe wildly. However, I overlooked something crucial: my scythe is just as heavy as his sword. My attack was clumsy and slow, giving the wolf time to counterattack. Seeing my feeble attempt, he laughed it off and swung his sword again, aiming straight for my neck.
I struck first, but our speeds were equal. Time seemed to slow down as adrenaline coursed through my veins. The tip of the sword grazed the fine hairs on my neck, mere moments away from slicing skin.
PLUNK.
The chilling sensation of steel piercing flesh traveled up my fingertips.
My neck narrowly avoided the wolf’s blade, but his neck didn’t fare as well. My scythe protruded cleanly through the other side.
The wolf reached out with trembling hands, grabbing hold of my scythe before yanking it free.
“W-Wait! Hey, hold on!”
SHOOOOSH!! bl**d erupted from his neck like a fountain, drenching me completely. Collapsing onto the ground, I watched the dying wolf bleed out, thinking…
I wanna go home…
