Damn it! Staying with so many beautiful women at Hakurei, and I still can’t win a single prize.
My own pressure hasn’t decreased much; on the contrary, because of Kaikokusu’s matter, the pressure has only increased.
Earlier, while everyone was changing clothes in the dressing room, Scout Karl suddenly rushed in, shouting loudly: “Sister! Elf! Something’s wrong!”
“What happened?” Samimi asked.
“The warehouse… our Warehouse Castle…” Scout Karl was extremely flustered, and Road Warrior was sweating profusely on the ground.
Samimi immediately understood the situation and led everyone, who had just finished dressing, outside.
Outside, the first defense line was already on high alert. The Adjudication Knights and Kingdom Knights were continuously carrying water and firewood out.
In the manor, towering flames and rolling smoke filled the sky. One of the wooden buildings was engulfed in scorching fire, uncontrollable and beyond saving.
That building was the Warehouse Castle storing all the food supplies for the Path Inspection team.
In the end, everyone could only fight the fire to prevent it from spreading further, but the Warehouse Castle was beyond saving. Almost everything inside was burned to ashes.
“How could this happen?” Commander Mei Aiwen was so frightened she collapsed to the ground, utterly disbelieving.
She wasn’t the only one. Everyone else remained rooted in place, and even the knights fighting the fire felt helpless, a sensation far worse than resisting the Zombie Horde.
Without food, the Path Inspection team could only hold out for three days at most. After that, even if the Dead Forest spirits stopped attacking, we’d starve to death right inside the manor.
The Black Sun sank lower.
The Yellow Dusk arrived, and soon the Blood Clan’s assault would begin.
“Frost Call! Evening approaches!”
Even before the Black Sun had fully set, the groans of the zombies echoed from the Dead Forest.
They were impatient, eager to attack. As soon as the Black Sun disappeared, the Zombie Horde would launch their assault.
The zombies’ howls also confirmed that the fire at the Warehouse Castle was set by the Blood Clan. They burned down the human food supplies in one fell swoop.
But what was even more terrifying—
“There must be Dead Forest spirits infiltrating the manor. How could that be? We were guarding the walls even during the day. There’s no way we missed any intruders,” the Papal Left Hand muttered.
“Immediately check and count everyone!” shouted the Chief Judge Knight.
The Adjudication Knight Commander, the Elite Kingdom Knight Commander, and the Demon Order Knight Commander, all three captains, conducted a roll call of their troops.
Everyone gathered together, confirming their identities with one another.
In the end, all twenty-five members of the Path Inspection team were accounted for—no one missing, no one extra, and no disguised infiltrators.
This only deepened everyone’s suspicion and made them even more cautious.
If that was the case, it meant the infiltrating Blood Clan ghost was hiding in some corner of the manor.
Fear and unease spread throughout the team.
“She’s suspicious.”
Just then, Commander Mei Aiwen pointed at the mysterious young female archer, raising a subtle accusation.
“What do you mean?” the God-Qin Maiden Archer asked, confused.
“This person was wearing a cloak when she entered the manor. That cloak has special equipment effects that conceal the wearer’s face it’s too suspicious. She must be a Blood Clan ghost!” Commander Mei Aiwen explained loudly.
It must be said, her analysis was precise, and everyone cast suspicious glances toward the God-Qin Maiden Archer.
“We’ve never seen her without that cloak. None of us know who she really is,” Commander Liang Ruijielin said.
“Miss, I don’t know why you don’t want to reveal your true face, but now there’s no way to hide it anymore.”
Facing everyone’s suspicion, the chief judge gently placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder, signaling her to remove her cloak.
“Commander, I know this isn’t Samimi.”
Finally, the God-Qin Maiden Archer lowered her hood, denying the accusation against her.
Her silver hair flowed like a shining river, flawless and perfect like that of the golden-haired elf commander, but her face carried a cold expression, unlike the gentle smile the golden elf always wore.
This silver-haired elven girl’s eyes emitted a sharp, murderous coldness, full of cruelty and ruthlessness.
She completely shattered the team’s stereotypical impression of elves as gentle and kind-hearted.
Now everyone understood why this silver-haired elf always wore a hood—without it, she looked like a drawn sword, deadly and terrifying, making everyone uncomfortable.
“I know her! She’s the elven archer of the Hero Party—the ‘Phantom Dream Bow.’ Rumor has it that she’s the one who shot down a flying dragon,” a passing female gunner immediately recognized her.
It’s true—the fame of the Hero Party’s members is partly overestimated. Like any group, they have core members and supporting ones.
The Hero Party’s most famous member is, of course, the Hero, but even the Phantom Dream Bow is rarely seen in the capital.
The other three members aren’t very famous. Fabiana is average among adventurers but well-known among knights.
Karl prefers to stay out of the spotlight, and Samimi is even less known outside the kingdom.
“So, what’s the point?”
Kaisusu sneered at everyone, acting like a pressure monster from the moment she appeared, showing no team spirit.
She shot a sharp glare at Samimi as if warning her not to say anything more.
“Samimi really isn’t up to the task.”
That’s not right—if this were the usual Samimi being provoked like this, she’d have exploded by now.
Commander Mei Aiwen had plenty of experience with such situations. She’d scolded Demon-Hunting Nuns a few times, and each time she did, she got scolded back. Eventually, the Beastman Nun stopped her from getting into fights.
But if Samimi really was holding back, it only meant the upper echelons had greatly underestimated her.
Seeing Kaisusu’s hostility, Samimi felt secretly pleased because it meant her own analysis had been spot on.
“Demon-Hunting Nun, what’s your opinion? Do you know where the pure-bloods are hiding? What should we do now?” Commander Mei Aiwen, visibly anxious, quickly shifted the topic.
“Don’t worry.”
Samimi responded confidently.
Just three simple words calmed everyone instantly.
Everyone looked to the reliable Demon-Hunting Nun, waiting for her advice.
“The food supplies were transferred and hidden beforehand. The Warehouse Castle only contained some food packages that were burnt by the smoke,” Samimi explained.
Hearing this, everyone was relieved but still wary.
“How did you know the Warehouse Castle would be targeted?” asked Ku Yue Kuanglong.
“It’s simple military strategy. If I were the Blood Clan and couldn’t defeat your commanders, I would definitely burn your food supplies. So, I secretly instructed Karl to transfer the food away,” Samimi answered with a faint smile.
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