Slowly moving the girl’s body, she placed one hand on her slender waist and the other under the curve of her legs, gently lifting her up.
Then, Yi Shiyue looked at Hongye Qiu silently, as if urging her to lead the way.
Hongye Qiu smiled, her mind involuntarily recalling the moment she had uncontrollably raised her blade against them, and how this Moon Elf had shown no fear, even kissing little Ye Xin.
‘It’s good to be young,’ she thought. ‘It really makes one envious.’
“By the way, remember not to walk the streets using your identity in human society for now. After all, the Human Alliance isn’t stupid. They might be secretly watching from somewhere.”
“Fine.”
They walked in silence. Yi Shiyue quietly took in the clean, comforting scent of the girl in her arms. If it weren’t for the tattered clothes still clinging to her body, her steady breathing and tranquil sleeping face would make one think this great battle had never even happened.
‘A familiar yet strange girl. Will it still be him?’
The voice from earlier was already indicating that she was a Star Elf, and not necessarily Ye Xingyao.
‘But as long as there is a sliver of hope, I shouldn’t give up. It’s just a matter of waiting, isn’t it?’
“We’re here.”
Hongye Qiu took the lead and entered a familiar hallway. Yi Shiyue then realized that this was the safe house where Ye Xingyao had briefly stayed when he helped her escape the Human Alliance’s pursuit.
Entering the room, Hongye Qiu turned on the light and signaled for her to place the girl on the bed. She then brought over two chairs and sat down to keep watch by the bedside.
Yi Shiyue did not intend to sit down. Instead, after setting the girl down, she curiously scanned the layout of this “safe house.”
Under the somewhat mysterious lighting, the room was surrounded by four walls that blocked out every sliver of outside light. The interior consisted only of a bed, a wardrobe, a storage shelf, and a bathroom.
‘Could this be one of the places where Xingyao lived?’
Hongye Qiu glanced at the dazed white-haired elf before turning her attention to her “dear sister.” She reached out and released her unique crimson mana, slowly channeling it into the body of the girl on the bed…
“Ngh…”
The girl on the bed knit her cute brows and let out a soft groan, as if experiencing some kind of stimulation, but she soon relaxed and fell back into a deep sleep.
This sound made the two nearby quite nervous. Hongye Qiu hurriedly withdrew her mana, glanced at Yi Shiyue, and switched to a purer method of output. The latter also sat down, staring at the girl’s face, lost in thought.
“I need to check her physical condition. Although that power was miraculous enough to remove the side effects of the killing intent I released… I still won’t be at peace until I see for myself that she’s okay.”
Even though Hongye Qiu felt she didn’t need to explain, a voice in her heart told her it was better to make things clear.
“Thank you… Miss.”
Yi Shiyue nodded slightly.
The atmosphere in the room became subtle. Both of them tacitly remained silent until Hongye Qiu finished her examination, only then beginning to converse in low voices.
“There shouldn’t be any major issues. I think her current state is more like mana exhaustion.”
“Whew… That’s good then.”
They both breathed a sigh of relief.
A playful shamisen melody suddenly rang out. Hongye Qiu took out her communicator and saw the caller ID was “Li Xiang.” She curled her lip, used a slender finger to mute the sound, and casually tossed it aside, ignoring it.
“Probably wants to ask if I’m sane right now. The Human Alliance has been watching us all along… Heh, where were they earlier? Doing a single thing requires going through endless rules and procedures. It looks rigorous and perfect, but instead, they’re unable to react quickly when a real disaster arrives.”
“By the way, let me introduce myself. Hongye Qiu, an Eternal Night Class hunter of the Hunter Alliance. My strength is roughly at the Star-Dark Level. I’m also the only Honorary Hunter, though I have no real power. Currently, I’m just idling in Satellite City, providing a bit of guidance for the Hunter Alliance’s operations here.”
“I am her sole contact. All the commissions she receives go through my hands…”
After expressing her disdainful attitude toward the Human Alliance, Hongye Qiu turned to look seriously at the white-haired girl.
“I’m Evenna. As you can see, I’m a Moon Elf who has lived in human society since I was a child. Of course, that’s a fake name. I can’t fully trust you yet.”
Realizing the other woman’s pause was an invitation to speak, Yi Shiyue spoke up somewhat nervously.
The woman across from her seemed to have regained her senses, but that terrifying, extreme killing intent had still left a shadow in Yi Shiyue’s heart to some extent.
“Well, it looks like you’ll only trust her. But that’s not important. Recount everything you experienced today. I want to know where that Forest Elf and the monster came from.”
***
“…So what you’re saying is that the Forest Elf came looking for the Star Elf? And during the forced negotiations, that Midnight Level humanoid monster appeared out of thin air and beat you all into a frantic retreat with strength and speed that’s nearly invincible for the Midnight Level? Aside from that, a newly awakened Magical Girl went through the latter half of it with you?”
Hongye Qiu pressed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache. She wasn’t afraid of being lied to about these things because the results were obvious. No matter how abstract the process was, as long as it followed logic, it was reasonable.
Yi Shiyue nodded and reached out to gently touch the girl’s delicate cheek on the bed.
“Let me guess further. You’ve hidden the part about the Star Elf. That miraculous power doesn’t belong to any known power system, so it can roughly be considered the power of the Star Elf without a doubt… This explains the reason for the monster’s appearance. But why would that power help us?”
“I still don’t know whether that so-called Star Elf is a person or an object.”
“No comment. If you want to ask, wait until she wakes up.”
Yi Shiyue shook her head. The terrifying intuition and deductive reasoning of the woman before her made her increasingly wary. After all, if she revealed certain key information, who knew if it would be used against them?
“Tsk, what a stubborn personality. I don’t know what this girl likes about you. You’re not honest at all.”
Yi Shiyue lowered her head. Those words… it didn’t seem like the woman was angry about her intentional deception; instead, she seemed quite indifferent.
“Hmm… Since it involves those Magical Girls, things are going to get complicated. They are so sensitive when it comes to the issue of monsters.”
Hongye Qiu shook her head gloomily. This time, the matter had truly blown up a bit too much.
“Forget it. We’ll talk about everything else when she wakes up. If I don’t show up within surveillance range soon, the Magical Girl Association and the Human Alliance will probably go crazy with worry. I’ll leave this place to you. Take good care of her.”