Chapter 45: New Beginnings, New Variables

Description

Early in the morning, Lin Shu rubbed her bottom, which had suffered the previous night, while looking at the updated system information.

A translucent panel floated in front of her:

**[Sefina’s Wish Value: 25% → 65%]**

**[Contract Skill Evolution Conditions Met]**

**[Familiar Skill: Rose Thorns (Stage 2)]**

**[Skill Description: Can generate and manipulate thorn vines within a 50-meter range. The thorns carry a toxin that can paralyze the target and drain their mana.]**

Lin Shu focused on the word “drain.”

‘Great, now it’s not just crowd control; it has a mana-draining ability.’

Recalling the time they brought Eve back, Lin Shu had expected the wish value to update then, but the system had remained silent. Now that Sefina had become the head of the family, the value had jumped significantly.

It seemed Saian really had been the obstacle. Now, Sefina could manage the family according to her own will without being restricted by others.

Lin Shu curled her lips into a smile. She walked to the table in her room and removed the thin cord holding the key from around her neck.

The key lay quietly in her palm.

A blessing from the God of the Saint Race? Perhaps. But to Lin Shu, the key now felt more like a testament to her past. She opened a drawer and carefully placed the key inside.

She no longer needed to carry it with her at all times. This place was where she truly belonged now.

—

After Sefina officially became the head of the family, the Drago family began a series of new reforms.

She and Lin Shu first restricted Saian’s confidants and reshuffled the existing personnel. They also utilized Eve’s dolls for the manor’s defense and asset security.

As for Lin Shu, although she held no official title, everyone in the family knew exactly how much the personal maid meant to the new head.

One afternoon, Sefina decided to personally visit the shops in the capital, and Lin Shu accompanied her.

“Welcome!”

Eve’s dolls had already been stationed in the shop. They were exquisite in appearance, wearing signature little dresses, and they bowed to the customers at the entrance.

The last time Lin Shu had been here was when the shop was under attack. Now, the clothing store had been completely renovated. Thanks to the funds provided by Daphne, the interior space had even been appropriately expanded.

While Sefina was discussing future operations with the store manager, a half-vampire ran back and forth in front of Lin Shu, looking completely overwhelmed.

“Do you need help?” Lin Shu offered.

“Miss Lin Shu!” The girl wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Um, I’m really swamped here. Could… could I trouble you to pick up a delivery for me? Please!”

“Sure,” Lin Shu nodded. “Where is it?”

“Just turn left out the door. There’s a shop with a red sign in the square. Here is the pick-up voucher.”

The clerk handed Lin Shu a miniature badge.

“Thank you! I’ll buy you a Baa-tter-than-Heaven Magic Milk Tea later!”

After explaining the situation to Sefina, Lin Shu took an attendant doll with her and pushed open the door.

Demons were coming and going in the square, filled with the sounds of various shouting vendors. Whenever some ill-intentioned demons approached Lin Shu, the attendant doll would immediately reveal half of its weapon, making them wisely steer clear.

Lin Shu found the corresponding shop and exchanged the badge for a small box. Just as she was about to head back, a gust of wind blew past.

Suddenly, she felt something light brush against the top of her head before landing on her shoulder with a soft *thud*.

Turning her head, she saw a crumpled paper airplane.

‘Huh? Who threw this little thing?’

Lin Shu picked it up and looked around. The square was bustling with demons, but no one was paying any attention to the object in her hand.

‘Did it fall from above?’

Lin Shu looked up toward the sky. At that moment, a figure on the roof of a tall building across the square caught her eye.

The stranger had short red hair that danced against her face in the wind. She wore a cloak and had just pulled down her hood. As the wind lifted a corner of the cloak, Lin Shu could see a tight black bodysuit underneath, outlining her curvaceous figure.

Lin Shu couldn’t make out her expression clearly, but she could feel the girl’s gaze fixed on her. Atop her head, white wolf ears stood tall, and a snowy white wolf tail swayed leisurely behind her.

‘A beastman?’

Lin Shu was slightly stunned. While there were beastmen in the demon kingdom, they weren’t particularly numerous. Judging by her clothing, this wolf girl didn’t look like a permanent resident.

Noticing Lin Shu’s gaze, the wolf girl waved at her. Then, she raised both hands and made an “open” gesture.

Lin Shu found it strange. ‘She doesn’t want me to throw the paper airplane back, but to open it?’

She looked down and saw that the airplane was folded from a small slip of paper that had already been quite wrinkled. After flipping it over, Lin Shu noticed a folded character on the surface.

Based on her experience living among demons, Lin Shu recognized it as the word for “Yes.”

What did that mean?

Despite her doubts, Lin Shu followed the wolf girl’s instructions and unfolded the paper airplane. Inside, several crooked words were written in ink — script that a human could understand:

“Blink if you’ve been kidnapped. I’ll save you.”

Lin Shu: “…”

Lin Shu caught a glimpse of the expressionless, weapon-wielding doll beside her. She guessed that the girl probably saw a human in the demon capital accompanied by a non-human creature and assumed she was a prisoner.

‘I suppose this counts as an attempt at a heroic rescue.’

Lin Shu smiled at her in the distance and shook her head, making an effort not to blink.

—

On the rooftop, Hati watched the human girl shake her head and grumbled in dissatisfaction, “What? So she wasn’t?”

“Seeing that weird thing following her, I thought for sure she’d been kidnapped by demons.”

Hati had been leading her demon hunter group, hiding their presence as they followed the tracks mentioned by the Saintess all the way to the demon capital. While taking a temporary break on the roof, Hati had spotted Lin Shu in the square, looking completely out of place among the surrounding demons.

Her intuition told her something was off. She wanted to go down and check, but she was afraid of attracting the attention of other demons. So, she wrote a note, folded it into a paper airplane, and threw it to Lin Shu.

Just then, a demon hunter teammate behind Hati called out, “Captain, any discoveries? Is that vampire here?”

“There are too many demons here. The scents are all mixed up; I can’t smell a thing,” Hati replied.

“Then why are we on the roof?”

“The Saintess said the direction of the vampire’s message was this way. We have to find a high vantage point to observe the situation,” Hati said, resting her hands behind her head.

“Wait — ” The teammate rummaged through her pockets, her face turning pale as she cried out, “Captain! Did you use the clue paper the Saintess gave us for that note you threw?!”

“Psh, I memorized that scent ages ago. It doesn’t matter if the paper is gone, and giving it to a human won’t be an issue.”

“Should we do something about that human then?”

Hati took one last look in Lin Shu’s direction. “She looks fine, not like she’s being coerced. Besides, this is the demon capital. Let’s not alert the enemy. Let’s go.”

She leaped gracefully from the roof, murmuring softly, “Tsk, what a shame. That kid looked pretty cute.”