After mastering the resurrection technique, they begged me to extend their lives.

"very good."

An Xiao took a deep breath and led the group without stopping.

"Damage Source" is an ability that was acquired after the previous proficiency level was increased, and it is displayed below the Creator's Gaze.

However, after resurrecting Airi, none of her creations suffered any fatal injuries, so this data was not displayed by default.

Now, Chris's death has led An Xiao to discover that this function can accurately pinpoint her "enemies"...

That's right—whoever kills their own creation will be marked.

On closer reflection, isn't this the ultimate hunting method for those who hold grudges? If this function could be upgraded in the future, becoming as precise as "tracking red-named enemies"...

that……

"."

An Xiao took a deep breath.

His expression was calm.

"It is currently known that the harpy team has obtained at least one LV51 dragoon corpse and one LV49 pterosaur corpse, which are located nearby."

"Now that the Dragoons have perished, the Harpies are probably a much bigger, more direct, and punitive enemy than a fugitive like me who steals corpses."

"I'll mark her first, and then take revenge on her once my system is mature and well-established."

"As for the things, we can leave them with her for now. Anyway, the harpies won't move easily, and I'm not too far from this mountain range."

"Um."

With this decision made, An Xiao prepared to lead Xing Mi and the princess on a brisk walk toward the next resting place.

As the sun glides towards the distant mountains, the soft light of dusk cannot fully penetrate the branches and leaves of the forest.

The little fox, who had been walking all along, finally looked dejected and said that it could no longer walk.

"An Xiao, let's take a break... I usually travel by horse-drawn carriage or velociraptor carriage when I'm doing business... I'd never actually walk like this before..."

The little fox was panting heavily, and looked like it had truly lost all its ability to move.

She looked at An Xiao and Ai Li, her aggrieved expression hard to hide.

Logically speaking, these two—a sorcerer carrying a large coffin and a princess living in a palace—shouldn't possibly be physically stronger than me, a traveling merchant. But the problem is…

Her Highness is a corpse. Corpses seem to have little fatigue and can't even feel pain.

Only when they suffer a fatal wound and become unable to move will they stop carrying out orders.

As for An Xiao, he was given an "acceleration blessing" by the princess, making him appear as light as a feather, and his endurance had obviously increased a lot.

This resulted in no rest at the rest area, the convoy being abandoned, vehicles dying, and the little fox, with her delicate body, having to rely entirely on herself.

From childhood to adulthood, when has she ever endured such hardship?

Aren't they all protected and pampered by a whole truckload of mercenaries, enjoying good food and drink wherever they go?

Even when faced with danger, the wolf butler can solve problems in a timely manner.

But now...

【well……】

"Alright. Let's rest at the next point. If I'm not mistaken, we'll be out of the forest after walking this far. We're wearing cross-sections," An Xiao said calmly.

"All right."

Xingmi sighed. When you're under someone's roof, you have no choice but to bow your head.

Given An Xiao's current combat level, it would be quite easy for her to hold herself back.

He seems to need corpses; without them, he can't increase his combat strength.

Furthermore, every so often he would take a bottle of magic potion from his bag and gulp it down like a beverage. Just how many potions did he have?

The little fox was secretly studying him.

Unfortunately, no matter how much research we do, our understanding of him is limited to what we have today.

The information that can be obtained in half a day is too little.

The financier's mission has clearly failed, and he is now out of control.

Even worse, if they encounter any danger on the way ahead, without anyone to protect them, they could easily be dragged down with him...

"People die for wealth, foxes die for food."

"I should have listened to my father and not been so eager to show off..."

"They said I could earn 500 gold dragon coins for the guild with just one move... Now that I think about it, it really is..."

"Waaah."

Hoshimi is a bit withdrawn.

An Xiao didn't have time to pay attention to the crickets' soft chirping.

In fact, her anxiety was not unfounded. Without Chris's protection, her team's fighting strength was no more than five fingers' width.

An Xiao had asked Airi, who appeared to have the highest combat power, "Do you know any offensive magic?"

The answer I received was, "You only know one move."

"What?"

"Punishment".

"..."

This is the only attack skill that the princess at level 36 possesses.

Punishment.

As the name suggests, it uses holy magic to launch a "punitive attack" against the target.

(Note: This type of attack cannot kill the enemy.)

After all, Archbishop Galatien had solemnly declared: "No holy priest shall take human life."

Since then, powerful offensive spells such as "Holy Fire," "Great Light Wheel," and "Heavenly Grace" have been removed from the white magic curriculum and replaced with support skills.

Princess Airi's mentor was Lady Margaret, who was proficient in fire magic, but the spells she learned all came from another teaching assistant mentor hired by Galatin, who was a highly skilled high monk.

Therefore, that last wave was the first time Her Highness had killed someone.

She was killing villagers from her own country.

Such an impact was undoubtedly enormous for her.

But she also understood that if she didn't kill him, An Xiao would definitely die, and her own "corpse" wouldn't fare much better...

Rounding down and rounding up, with no other way out, one chooses the most desperate path.

The blood-stained hands could also be said to be the result of being forced by the "dominant" rather than acting of their own volition.

He was a strong-willed man, and as his "creation," I wasn't allowed to have my own thoughts. So, when he ordered me to kill, it was his responsibility, not my subjective motive.

Even if he made me do other things that were even more blasphemous about white magic, it was entirely because he forced me; it could never have been my own will.

This is what the princess uses to comfort herself.

An Xiao's level increase will inevitably lead to an increase in the attributes of core creations like her.

So when she personally executed the militiaman Hunter, she actually felt a sense of relief in that fleeting moment of release...

This is completely contrary to her once pure and innocent personality.

"An Xiao, if you lack guards, why didn't you revive those people from before?"

After walking for a while, Xingmi asked with concern.

"Those? You mean your butler?"

An Xiao narrowed her eyes, her tone subtle.

Of course he knew.

Having another usable creation around would be much safer than the current situation where three people are running around naked.

However, this issue is not entirely due to limited Mana and the desire to reserve mana for Fiora.

Instead, it poses a significant safety hazard.

Since no experiment has been conducted, it is impossible to determine whether the LV30 werewolf warrior will obey my orders after I revive him, or whether he will turn against me and turn his blade against me upon seeing Xingmi.

He himself was a spellcaster, and Xingmi was his employer's daughter.

If he had even a shred of intelligence, he would surely ponder who the real villain is and who he should continue to protect.

Even if we take a step back and use a destructive inscription on him—"memory stripping"—to turn him into an irreversible humanoid like Chris, the risks still exist.

therefore.

It's better not to do something you're not sure about.

"My spell usage has many restrictions."

"Therefore, I will not expend energy to revive unnecessary people."

An Xiao's voice was indifferent, as if stating an extremely cold-blooded logic:

"Hoshimi. If you die one day, I will not let you experience such divine magic as mine."

"!"

The little fox opened its eyes wide and was slightly taken aback.

He instinctively opened his mouth and asked, "W-why?"

"Because I only focus my attention on two types of people—"

"First, someone who is of great significance to me."

"Secondly."

"The one who will never betray me."

……

……