“A double room, right? There’s only a double bed—would that be acceptable, gu–guest?”
At the front desk of the boarding inn, although the receptionist was trying her best to maintain a professional fake smile, she couldn’t help but glance with confusion at the little gray-haired girl barely reaching half the height of the counter.
The girl’s small hand clenched a few gold coins tightly before she struggled to place them on the tabletop.
Beside her stood an elf lady, clearly dressed in expensive attire.
Awkwardly, the receptionist turned her head away, unwilling to meet the questioning gaze directed at her.
Having a little girl pay for the room?
The situation was both strange and hard to keep a straight face over, and the receptionist silently congratulated herself for not bursting out laughing.
“Alright, and also, two set meals, one salad set and…”
Bai glanced at the menu on the wall before continuing, “a children’s set meal.”
“Understood. Is this beautiful lady here your companion as well?”
The receptionist turned toward Vera, unable to hold back her question.
“Yes, she’s my friend.”
“You’re… visiting this city for the first time, right?”
Bai nodded.
The receptionist gave Vera a suspicious look, then glanced back at the adorable little girl before hesitating.
Suddenly, she bent down slightly, covering her mouth with one hand and whispered softly to Bai, “You might not know, but some ladies in the big city have ‘special preferences,’ so if you need any help, you can tell me. Our inn’s guards are quite capable👌🏻.”
“?”
“Hey! I heard that! What ‘special preferences’?! I’m perfectly normal… Pfft! I’m a normal person, okay!”
Vera blushed fiercely and shouted.
Just relying on the money in Bai’s pocket to spend the night and eat was already embarrassing enough.
Now, with the receptionist looking at her with that suspicious, barely contained smile, Vera was even more mortified.
She wished she could just disappear into a hole.
“Hehe, what is the guest talking about? I just wanted to chat with this adorable little girl,” the receptionist chuckled fake-smiling before handing over a key.
“This is your room—third floor, 303. Please keep it safe. Your meals will be ready shortly. Enjoy your meal.”
***
“What is it with humans? Why are they all like this?”
Vera grumbled unhappily at the dining table in the hall, nibbling at the rather bland food.
Bai picked up a piece of vegetable, chewing it and swallowing.
No matter what, it was still far better than dry bread.
“No matter what, even if I have to sleep on the streets tonight, I will definitely pass the Broken Blood Recruitment tomorrow!”
Vera declared passionately, popping a piece of slightly burnt vegetable into her mouth.
“Is Broken Blood Recruitment difficult?”
“Not really, but I’m not aiming to be just a regular member of the Broken Blood Order. At least I should be a Vice Captain!”
Vera said confidently.
She swallowed and continued with shining eyes, excitedly asking, “Hey, hey, do you know Aurelia?”
“Aurelia?”
Bai paused in her movement.
The image of that girl appeared in her mind—the long pale golden hair, the sleek silver armor, and the air of fierce determination.
“That’s right, Aurelia Veronica. She’s the Vice Captain of the Broken Blood Order. I heard that five years ago during recruitment, on her way back and forth to the Kingdom of Novalia, she was attacked by three Vampire Beasts. She fought fiercely, and with nothing but a dagger at her waist, she killed all three on her own.”
“Just a dagger killed them all…”
Bai’s eyes widened in shock.
Considering the massive size of Vampire Beasts, she felt that even a silver sword would struggle to leave fatal wounds on one, let alone three, killed by a mere dagger—that was truly impressive.
“Not only that, she cut off the heads of the three Vampire Beasts and brought them to the Broken Blood Recruitment event. When Skarn, the captain of Broken Blood, saw them, he immediately accepted her into the order, made her a squad leader, and within five years, she became Vice Captain!”
Vera said admiringly.
“Since then, many have tried to imitate Aurelia—hunting Vampire Beasts alone to shine at recruitment. Unfortunately, very few can kill a Vampire Beast alone, not to mention three at once.”
She showed a somewhat frustrated expression, absentmindedly waving a piece of vegetable in the air.
“I originally wanted to head into the forest to find Vampire Beasts myself, but it turns out there’s a cleansing mission for Vampire Beasts right now. I can’t enter the forest, so I have to follow the usual recruitment process.”
“Bai believes in you, sister. You’ll definitely succeed!”
Bai encouraged her.
As they talked, the receptionist who had just passed by came over again, carrying a plate of food.
Hearing their conversation, she stopped and smiled, asking, “Are you two talking about the Broken Blood Knight Order recruitment?”
“Of course. Who comes here at this time if not for Broken Blood?”
Vera said confidently, as if she were already a member.
But the receptionist looked puzzled.
“Ah? Didn’t you know? The Broken Blood recruitment has been postponed.”
“Postponed?!”
Vera slammed the table and stood up abruptly, shouting in surprise, drawing strange looks from nearby patrons.
“Vera, quiet down,” Bai tugged at her sleeve, whispering a reminder.
But Vera still couldn’t help but loudly ask, “What’s going on? The recruitment has never been postponed before!”
“I heard from other guests that something went wrong with the cleansing mission in the forest. Normally, after the Broken Blood knights clear their area, they just wait for elven and beastman allies to finish their regions. But…”
“But what? Hurry up and tell me!”
Vera urged anxiously.
“But the areas they cleared before suddenly saw a surge of Vampire Beasts. By the time they realized, they were already trapped in the forest. Not only that, but both the orcs and elves also suffered unexpected attacks,” the receptionist continued.
Clatter
The utensils in Bai’s hand dropped to the ground as she froze in place.
Suddenly, she stood up, her voice more worried and anxious than Vera’s.
“What about the knights? How are the knights? What about Aurelia and Uncle Skarn?”
“Captain Skarn and Aurelia? No one knows. Since the news of their being trapped reached the Kingdom, there’s been no further information.”
“The Kingdom tried contacting Broken Blood again, but neither magical messages nor messenger birds worked—it’s as if they disappeared inside the forest. Right now, the Kingdom has asked for help from the elf and beastman allies, and they’re on their way to assist. That’s all I know.”
“How could this be…”
Bai’s mind buzzed in confusion.
Just a few days ago, they suffered an attack; the knights were already exhausted.
Only a few were fit to fight.
Now, suddenly surrounded, how could they possibly defeat those Vampire Beasts?
This time, the target of the cleansing mission had, in fact, become themselves…