The three of them did not know how long they had been walking in the wilderness. The moonlight gradually faded, and the pitch-black sky slowly brightened.
Relying on Hati’s exceptionally keen sense of smell, they avoided many wandering monsters in advance. Fortunately, they did not encounter any pursuers from the Blood Clan along the way.
“Um… Hati, I feel much better now. You can put me down,” Lin Shu said. It was quite embarrassing to let someone carry her the entire time.
“It is fine. I have plenty of stamina. You should rest some more.” Hati showed no intention of letting go, and her tail wagged lightly. She seemed to be enjoying herself.
At the end of the forest was a stretch of barren mountains. After walking a short distance along the rugged cliffside, they found a hidden cave. After setting up protective and concealment barriers, Hati lit a bonfire inside.
The orange firelight illuminated the cramped space and dispelled the damp chill of the night.
Lin Shu sat on the ground and looked at the two people in front of her. “Thank you for saving me, Hati, Miya,” she said sincerely.
If Hati had not appeared, she feared Liya would have crippled her. Even with magic at her disposal, the hope of escaping would have been slim. It was only because of the coordination and help of these two that she was able to escape the Tepus manor.
“Psh, I was planning to take you out anyway.” Hati waved her hand dismissively while rummaging through her pack. “No need to be so polite.”
Miya glanced at Lin Shu, then lowered her eyes and whispered, “May the gods guide you.”
She turned her gaze toward the bonfire, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
‘I feel like… something is strange?’ Lin Shu felt a sense of doubt rise in her heart.
“I am going out for some air,” Miya said suddenly, standing up and walking toward the cave entrance.
“I found some crackers. There are two pieces left. Do you want any?” Hati asked.
“No, I am not hungry.”
Hati moved closer to Lin Shu, her tone becoming serious. “Lin Shu, there are some things I want to ask you.”
“Hm?” Seeing Hati become serious, Lin Shu sat up straight.
“Where did you learn your skills?”
“The magic?”
“No, no. There are Humans who can use magic in our kingdom, so that is not unusual.” Hati shook her head. “I mean the skill where you can suddenly manifest vines.”
Lin Shu understood immediately. She reached out and brushed back the stray hairs on her forehead, revealing the Familiar mark. “Actually, I am a Familiar. That skill is an ability granted to me by the contract.”
Hati’s eyes widened, and one of her ears folded to the side. “But Lin Shu, you are a Human! I have been hunting for so long, and I have never seen a Human become a Familiar!”
“Hunting?” Lin Shu asked curiously.
“Oh, I have not introduced myself formally yet.” Hati suddenly placed a fist over her chest and straightened her back. “I am Hati, the Captain of the Third Squad of the Holy Church’s Demon Hunting Corps. Usually, I am responsible for leading teams to eliminate dangerous members of the Demonic Race.”
A Demon Hunting Captain. No wonder her skills were so outstanding that she could fight on equal footing with Liya.
“But it is strange. Why would that vampire want to cripple her own Familiar’s legs?” Hati asked, tilting her head.
Hati was referring to Liya.
“She is not my Master—”
“Eh?” Hati paused, then asked tentatively, “Then your Master is…?”
Sefina’s face flashed through Lin Shu’s mind, and a heavy feeling weighed on her chest. She turned her head, staring at the dancing flames in the fire.
“Right now… I suppose I no longer have a Master…”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because I already helped her complete her mission, and she said she does not need me anymore.” Lin Shu forced a smile. “Besides, I heard she found a better candidate.”
“Huh?! What kind of logic is that!” Hati’s tail bristled. She said indignantly, “You helped her, and she just throws you away the moment she does not need you? Isn’t she just using you as a tool?”
“Isn’t that what a Familiar is?” Lin Shu seemed to be asking Hati, but also herself.
She suddenly felt that because of this identity, she always subconsciously prioritized serving others. She craved to be treated with sincerity after giving her all, but she always ended up disappointed.
“Aren’t Familiars supposed to be companions? Companions should fight together and eat meat together!”
‘Why is it always about eating meat…’ Lin Shu blinked in confusion.
Hati suddenly leaned in close. “Lin Shu, is your Master a purple-haired vampire? Dra… Dra-something?”
Lin Shu’s heart skipped a beat. Purple hair… Dra-go? Was Hati talking about Sefina?
“How do you know that?” Lin Shu asked, her face full of shock.
“I understand now.” Hati crossed her arms, deep in thought. “No wonder the first time I fought her, she did everything she could to keep me from knowing you existed. It was because the key is on you, and she did not want us to find it.”
Fighting? The key? More and more doubts crashed against Lin Shu’s brain.
“You have seen Sefina?”
“More than just seen her.” Hati raised a fist. “Lin Shu, do not be sad. I already taught her a lesson for you. My squad clashed with her, and she was badly injured.”
“Wait, when was this?” Lin Shu’s heart tightened.
Hati told Lin Shu about the first time she fought Sefina after the Holy Church issued the mission.
Lin Shu suddenly remembered. ‘Wait… wasn’t that the time Sefina wouldn’t let me go out?!’
Pieces of memory began to fit together in Lin Shu’s mind. After she met Hati in the plaza, she received the note folded into a paper plane. Sefina saw that note, and after that, she forbade her from going outside.
Could there be a connection between the note and the key? Sefina had said that she sent informants to the kingdom of the Sacred Race to look for clues about the key.
So… it was not that Sefina did not need her at the family event. She just did not want Hati to know she existed, thereby preventing her from finding the key?
In that case, the day she saw Sefina return, the woman had been heavily injured. And the reason the wounds would not heal was because Hati had clawed her?
The questions that had once troubled Lin Shu seemed to be clearing up bit by bit.
“Speaking of which, why do you have that key, Lin Shu?” Hati’s question pulled Lin Shu back from her thoughts.
To hide the existence of the system, Lin Shu used the same explanation she had before. “The day I became a Familiar, the key appeared on my person.”
“Then you really are the holder of the key.” Hati seemed very happy. Her bristled tail returned to normal and wagged rhythmically.
“You said the key belongs to the Bishop of the Holy Church?” Lin Shu still remembered what Hati had said during the fight with Liya. Since the Bishop was involved, this key was certainly not simple.
“Well, I should not have put it that way. To be precise, it is something the Bishop has been searching for.”
“Is it that important?” Lin Shu subconsciously pulled the key out and placed it in her palm. “Sefina once told me it symbolizes a blessing from the gods.”
“She lied to you. This is no ordinary blessing.” Hati immediately countered, reaching out to point at the pattern on the key. “In our Holy Church, this pattern is the symbol of the Creator God.”
‘What?!’
Lin Shu felt as if she had been struck by lightning, instantly frozen in shock.