1. Three Years Before the Prologue

Near a certain desolate fishing village of the countryside, a girl rushed across the forest. Her breathing was ragged, and her clothes were in tatters. She frequently turned to look behind her, her legs racing atop the slippery, wet ground, until she tripped over her feet and fell with a crash.

“Ugh...” the girl groaned, caked in mud and dirt.

As she expected, the sound of many footsteps soon caught up to her. Several men donning pristine suits of armor stood before her, their plainly expensive gear signaling that they weren’t bandits or hoodlums.

“Tsk, she’s covered in mud,” one of the men grumbled. “I thought I’d have some fun with her, but this blows.”

“You’re not gonna do her, man?” another asked. “I don’t mind if things get a little dirty.”

The men laughed as they continued their vulgar conversation. The girl tried to use this opportunity to jump to her feet and flee, but a bald man came from behind, pressing her down from above.

“Ow...” the girl grunted, twisting her face with pain.

The bald man heartlessly trussed her arms and legs with some rope and shoved a bit into her mouth.

“C’mon, boys,” the man said wearily. “Stop yapping and tie her up. She almost tried to run.”

“Whoops, my bad,” another man replied. “But the chase is half the fun. Y’know, like fox hunting. The fat cats love stuff like that.”

“Yeah, I get you,” another agreed. “A young woman with no chance of escape pathetically trying her luck anyway, running around in confusion? What a thrill.”

One of the men flashed a lecherous grin as he reached out to touch the restrained girl. She screamed in panic, but the bald man quickly stopped