The Kingdom of Francis.
Outside the royal capital.
The grass beneath his feet was suddenly cut off by a tangle of thorny brambles, barbed vines coiling around a weathered boundary marker like constricting serpents.
This was the boundary between civilization and wilderness.
In the mouths of the bards in taverns, this place had a name—the Whispering Forest.
They said the name of the Whispering Forest had never belonged to humans; it was merely what we happened to remember it calling itself to us.
Levi scoffed at that.
His soul did not belong to this world. He came from an industrialized world, and at the age of fifteen, he awakened the memories of his previous life.
Only then did he realize that he had become the servant of Her Majesty Queen Cecilia de Medici—the newly wedded wife of Francis IX, the holder of the Magic Mirror, and the stepmother of Snow White.
At this moment...
Dry branches cracked under Levi's boots, startling a flock of blue-plumed birds—their feathers shimmering with a ghostly azure glow in the twilight, as though splashed with ultramarine paint.
The scent of humus mixed with the sweetness of wild berries, but deeper within lingered a damp, decaying stench, like the moment an old coffin is pried open.
And in front of him stood a pitiful girl.
She was the daughter of Francis IX, the last treasure left behind in this world by the previous queen—Snow White.
Her skin was like the first snowfall of early winter, pure and flawless, with a faint pearlescent sheen.
Complementing her skin was a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms. Even at her young age, she was already a peerless beauty, like an angel sent down from the heavens.
'No wonder this Snow White could take the title of the most beautiful woman from Queen Cecilia… This kind of beauty is enough to shake the soul.'
Even Levi, who had been bombarded by countless curated images in his previous life, couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
Even though the princess had fallen into the grass and looked disheveled, her beauty remained untouched.
If anything, it only made her more pitiful, more deserving of sympathy.
Her eyes were brimming with tears as she looked at Levi in pleading desperation.
"In my father's name, young hunter… please spare me."
This Snow White was almost like a succubus. Hearing her plea, Levi hesitated for a brief instant.
It was only because he had awakened the memories of his previous life, and his mental strength far surpassed that of ordinary people, that he managed to resist that impulse.
But he could understand why, in fairy tales, the hunter would choose to spare Snow White.
Some people simply stand there, and the world seems to revolve around them.
When she looks at you with eyes like a mirror of still water, you can't help but soften.
But unfortunately—
This time, it was him, not that hunter.
Levi shook his head and said to Snow White, "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I may be able to spare you… but the Queen will not spare me."
"Please forgive me, Princess."
"I'm just trying to survive."
"For the sake of living…"
Levi spoke in a low voice.
In the fairy tale, the servant spared Snow White, killed a pig, and took its organs back as proof.
But how could that possibly deceive a queen who possessed the Magic Mirror?
The Queen quickly discovered the truth, realized Snow White was still alive, and the rest of the story unfolded from there.
But very few people noticed that the servant never appeared again.
His outcome went without saying.
What superior could accept such betrayal?
Having transmigrated here, Levi had no intention of making such an early "exit."
"So, Snow White must—"
As the thought crossed his mind, Levi slowly drew the longsword in his hand. The cold gleam of the blade reflected against Snow White's skin.
Deep despair surfaced in Snow White's eyes. Tears, like scattered pearls, fell one after another, making anyone who saw her feel pity.
Levi remained cold-hearted, unmoved.
Without hesitation, he slashed straight at Snow White.
"Ah!" A scream tore through the forest, echoing far into the distance.
Along with the scream, Snow White's face was instantly covered in blood, a clear wound appearing across it, the flesh curling outward.
Seeing this, Levi's lips curved upward, and his eyes instead lit up.
With a gentle smile, he said to Snow White, "Your Highness, from this moment on, you are not—and will never again be—the most beautiful woman in the world."
Clutching her bloodied face in pain, Snow White stared straight at him. In her eyes were both resentment and confusion.
Levi casually tossed her a hemostatic medicine and said, "Princess, run."
"Run to a place where no one knows you, and start over."
"If, after I count to three, you are still within my sight—then don't blame me."
"After all, I have to live too." Levi said this once again.
Hearing this, Snow White quickly regained her composure. She revealed a maturity far beyond her age and said to Levi, "Thank you, Levi. You are a true knight."
"Knight?"
Hearing this, Levi sneered inwardly.
Snow White said nothing more. Using the herbs Levi had given her, she pressed them against the wound on her face, then turned and staggered down a small path, heading deeper into the Whispering Forest.
Levi quietly watched the retreating figure of Snow White. A blue light flickered within his eyes.
Information that only he could see appeared before him.
[Name: Evelyn Francis]
[Identity: Princess of the Kingdom of Francis, Snow White]
[Strength: 0.62]
[Constitution: 0.58]
[Agility: 0.61]
[Spirit: 0.95]
[Charm: 9.6]
[Ability: Unknown]
[Note: Extremely high charm allows Snow White to make ordinary beings unable to refuse any of her requests.]
'No wonder in the fairy tale, those dwarves accepted Snow White so quickly. That charm stat speaks for itself,' Levi thought.
He did not worry about Snow White's safety.
With such overwhelming charm, she would leave a trail of blossoming fortune wherever she went.
Charm did not merely represent beauty—it also represented affinity.
Affinity toward people. Affinity toward other creatures!
Of course.
If things turned out differently from what Levi expected, and Snow White died in the jaws of some beast within the Whispering Forest—
Then so be it.
Her death would only reduce his risk further.
Softly, Levi spoke to Snow White's departing figure, "I'm sorry, Princess. Just like you, I only want to survive in this damned world."
As he spoke, more information—visible only to Levi—appeared within his vision.
[You have used Detection once. Experience +1. Current EXP: 100/100.]
[Your Detection has reached the upgrade threshold and can be upgraded.]
"Upgrade."
Seeing this, Levi's mind stirred, and he gave the command internally.