As spring approached, Lil and Ria turned eight years old. That year, more divine beasts than the previous year gathered to celebrate their birthday, and they received many gifts.

Both Lil and Ria had been busy lately teaching language to the divine beasts, so it was a rare, leisurely time for them.

Since the active period began, Lil and Ria had officially belonged to the Holy Knight Order’s “Special Divine Beast Protection Unit.” This unit was created specifically for Lil, and as the name suggested, its purpose was to protect divine beasts through special methods and explore ways for humans and divine beasts to coexist.

The qualification for joining was possessing a unique ability effective toward divine beasts. Ria’s reason for joining was that, for some reason, divine beasts never showed any wariness toward her, even upon first meeting.

Well, according to Livian, it was apparently just a unit hastily set up to give Lil and Ria a salary while allowing them to act freely. But thanks to the serious-minded Ria, it was functioning properly.

She neatly compiled the contents of Lil’s divine beast observation journals into research成果. Even Livian, who oversaw the Holy Knight Order and handled all matters related to divine beasts, was astonished by their contributions.

And so, by the age of eight, Lil and Ria were already high earners.

Frankly, their lives were smooth sailing. Lil had never imagined, back when she was underground, that she could ever be this happy.

Then, one day, the divine beasts rushed to Lil in a panic.

“It’s terrible—we found a person collapsed!”

“Please heal them!”

From behind the small divine beasts, a bear appeared, carrying a human on its shoulder.

Lil hurriedly went to call Ian.

It was a girl around fourteen years old. Her limbs had been bound with rope, and she was severely weakened.

Rosaline untied the ropes and checked her condition. Gloria prepared the infirmary to let her rest—she was very practiced at it. It was true that they had protected many humans before. It just hadn’t happened since Lil arrived.

Even though Lil herself had been abandoned, she was still shocked. The fact that the girl had been tied up meant she hadn’t entered the forest on her own—she had been abandoned by someone.

Lil didn’t know what to do and fidgeted anxiously. Eventually, Ria shooed her away to another room, saying she was in the way.

“I’d heard people were often abandoned here, but that was brutal…”

Justin frowned deeply.

“Going out of their way to tie her up before dumping her—that’s beyond cruel.”

Ria was furious.

“Well, we don’t know the full story yet. She might be a criminal who committed some serious crime. Lil and Ria, stay away from her.”

Justin warned them sternly. But Ria didn’t seem convinced.

“I’m going to see her when she wakes up. My power will be needed.”

Justin grimaced but couldn’t argue—he didn’t know about Ria’s skill. But as her guard, he couldn’t accept it.

“Then I’m going with you.”

In the end, they settled on a compromise.

Thanks to Ian’s skill, the girl had recovered enough to speak. However, one of her legs had been deliberately broken, and her body was covered in bruises as if she had been beaten. Lil’s heart ached.

Ria removed her bracelet and joined the questioning. Lil followed along.

Ian frowned slightly when he saw Ria without her bracelet, but after reconsidering that her ability was necessary, he told her to pull her sleeve down if anything happened.

“This is the Second Holy Knight Order’s base in the Kingdom of Wils. We found you weakened in the forest and brought you here. First, tell us your name.”

The girl thought for a moment before answering.

“Anastasia. I don’t have a surname.”

It wasn’t a lie.

“I see. Anastasia, tell us what happened.”

Anastasia glanced at Lil and Ria, seeming hesitant. But then she noticed Kohaku at Lil’s feet and Marron perched on her shoulder, and her eyes widened.

“They’re fine. Just tell us what happened,” Ian urged.

Anastasia took a deep breath and began.

“My village relied on dairy farming. But then monsters appeared and devastated everything. The kingdom didn’t help us at all.”

She paused briefly before steeling herself and continuing.

“My skill is ‘Beast Healer.’ I was valued in the village. But when everything was ruined and food ran out, someone started saying that being able to heal animals was unlucky—that I was the one who summoned the monsters… So they tied me up and abandoned me in the forest.”

There wasn’t a single lie in her story. She had truly suffered an unjust, cruel fate. Ian decided to take her under their protection.

“I see. In this kingdom, where divine beasts are revered, a ‘Beast Healer’ would be welcomed. You can rest easy. Once you’ve recovered a bit, we’ll find a place for you.”

Anastasia looked relieved.

“Thank you…”

Then, perhaps exhausted, she quickly fell asleep.