The chaotic footsteps of the Demon Race gradually faded into the distance.
Only then did Hualà dare to quietly poke her small head out, glancing around to confirm it was safe.
She let out a long breath and patted her chest.
“Guh…”
Because she was still wearing the padded lace underwear, Hualà ended up grabbing a handful of softness.
Honestly, even though it was a bit weird, it felt kind of nice to squeeze.
Wait, no! What am I even doing?!
Realizing her own strange behavior, a blush spread across HualÃ’s fair cheeks.
She hurriedly withdrew her hand, scolding her own depravity.
“HualÃ, how can you do things only bad girls do to yourself!?”
She shook her little head vigorously, trying to fling all the dirty thoughts out of her mind.
“The most urgent thing now is to escape the Black Market!”
She declared.
With that, the pink-haired girl’s petite figure darted into the night like a phantom, sprinting toward the direction of the Black Market’s exit as she remembered it.
***
Meanwhile, Aelia would never have imagined that Hualà had already gotten lost during her frantic escape.
Standing at a crossroads, surrounded by unfamiliar buildings, HualÃ’s eyes were filled with confusion.
“Guh… where’s the Black Market exit…?”
Because of the commotion caused by HualÃ, many familiar stalls and shops in the Black Market had either closed up in fear of being affected, pulled down their shutters, or hung up wooden ‘Closed’ signs.
Without these landmarks, Hualà had completely lost her sense of direction regarding the entrance.
Choosing a direction at random, she wandered alone down an empty street.
The desolate night wind showed no mercy, sweeping roughly across HualÃ’s exposed skin.
Sweat on her body quickly evaporated, sending chills up her spine.
“Achoo——!”
Hualà couldn’t hold back a sneeze.
The clothes Aelia had put on her were just too short and thin to block the wind.
Sniffling, Hualà rubbed her arms.
Even her back curled unconsciously, her head drooping with a pitiful expression.
“Uuu… Jeilinfa, where are you? I’m lost~”
At that moment, two Doghead Guards carrying blades dashed past her—members of the Black Market’s patrol.
They didn’t spare a glance for the lone girl as they rushed past, their footsteps urgent, as if heading into battle.
“Hurry up, the leader and the others seem to have caught that girl who was causing trouble in the Black Market. We need to get over there quick. If the leader calls the roll and finds out we were slacking off, we’re dead!”
“Like hell it’s my fault. You’re the one who insisted on winning back all your losses. Now you’ve lost even your underwear and finally decided to get moving.”
Hualà blinked in place.
Had that Elf been captured already?
***
At the same time, on the other side.
The Elf girl Aelia knelt on one knee, wounded, with a dark, bloodstained short blade in her hand.
The tip of the blade was embedded in the hard marble floor.
Her maid uniform had been torn to shreds during the fierce battle, slashed by blades and claws, burned by scorching flames, and corroded by dark magic, leaving holes of all sizes.
Beneath the ruined uniform, her pale skin was faintly visible in places, several wounds oozing blood.
Surrounding the girl were Demon Race pursuers, watching her every move with wary eyes.
Normally, with Aelia’s skills, it would be nearly impossible for any Black Market faction to capture her easily.
But accidents always come unexpectedly.
The Incubus faction, Demonmen, and the Black Market’s Administrators had, after failing to subdue her separately, chosen to join forces.
They put aside their grievances to encircle and attack her from three sides, all to capture the ‘thief’ Aelia.
They trapped her so tightly she couldn’t even spread her wings to escape!
Now, even as strong as she was, she couldn’t withstand the assault from all three factions.
“The item isn’t on you?!”
Finally realizing something was off, the tuxedo-clad Incubus clenched his fist.
His face twisted as if he’d swallowed a fly, becoming even more grotesque.
The wrinkles on his face bunched up in anger, layering over each other like tape wound too tight.
It was a stark contrast to his high-end tuxedo.
“What? The item isn’t on her?!”
The Demonmen leader, also tasked with retrieving the ‘Seed of Epiphany’, was first stunned, then turned to the Incubus beside him with a look of disdain.
“Heh, I bet you’re just trying to trick me so you can snatch it when my guard is down.”
The Demonmen believed he had seen through the Incubus’s scheme and looked smug.
“Idiot! Can’t you see from her expression? The item isn’t on her at all!”
The Demonmen leader paused, looking toward Aelia inside the encirclement.
On her soot-stained face, if you ignored the small cuts on her cheeks, there were two emotions—one was the calm acceptance of death, knowing there was no escape, the other was mockery.
Mockery that even if they killed her, they would never get what they wanted.
The Elf girl Aelia trembled as she slowly stood up.
Her small, wounded body straightened, fragile enough to be toppled by a strong breeze, yet unyielding enough to withstand any attack.
A faint sneer curled at her lips.
“Don’t bother dreaming.”
“The item was sent out of the Black Market by my companion not long ago. If it’s not yours, you’ll never get it.”
That somewhat silly Human Race girl… she recalled her name was Hual�
So afraid of death, she’s probably already escaped by now.
Aelia did not fear her impending death.
There was something she hadn’t told HualÃ.
The positioning function of the Wristband she gave Hualà wasn’t limited to her.
It was a device all Elves must wear when traveling outside, used to locate their companions.
So even if Aelia died here tonight and couldn’t keep her promise, as long as Hualà kept wearing the Wristband, her Elf companions would find Hualà in her place and retrieve the ‘Seed of Epiphany’!
“She even had a companion?!”
Everyone clenched their teeth, fists trembling in anger.
“I just want the item.”
“If you tell me your companion’s whereabouts, I’ll let you both go as if nothing happened tonight.”
The Incubus’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Otherwise, I’ll use the cruelest tortures to force you to betray your companion. Don’t underestimate my methods.”
Aelia was certainly hateful for stealing the ‘Seed of Epiphany’ from the Black Market Auction, but the truly important thing was the item itself.
“Heh.”
Aelia let out a quiet laugh, gripping her chipped blade.
“Do as you please.”
“I won’t tell you anything.”
“Stories always need sacrifices to move forward.”
“This crumbling world needs someone to bear the weight of salvation.”
“It wasn’t death that chose me at this moment.”
“It was I who chose death at this moment.”
“After all, some things are more important than life.”
As the faces around her twisted in shock, the girl slowly raised her short blade.
Her movement was so swift that even those closest to her couldn’t stop it.
A fearless, carefree smile spread across her face.
A cold flash sliced through the darkness, aiming straight for the beating heart in her chest.
“Wait! Don’t!”
Just before the blade could pierce her skin, HualÃ’s panicked cry shattered the silence.
“I got lost and couldn’t find the exit, so I came back to save you, Aelia!”
The tip of the blade, meant to pierce the heart, froze in midair at HualÃ’s words.
The carefree smile on Aelia’s face completely stiffened.