With the supplies in hand, Lin Shu followed the two of them out of the town center.
Lin Shu’s heart was in turmoil. She suddenly realized that ever since Sefina had restricted her from going out, all the information she had received was through the accounts of others and had never been personally confirmed.
After walking a few steps, Lin Shu stopped.
“What’s wrong, Lin Shu?” Hati and Miya turned back to look at her.
“I have something important I want to discuss with you,” Lin Shu said.
Hati understood and scanned their surroundings. “Then let’s find another place to talk.”
They found a secluded street corner where the light was dim and no other members of the Demonic Race were passing by.
Miya was the first to ask, “What is it you want to say, Lin Shu? You’re not still thinking about that vampire, are you? Hati said you two don’t have any contact anymore.”
“Miya, let Lin Shu speak first.”
Lin Shu organized her thoughts and spoke slowly. “I’ve been living among the Demonic Race, and there truly are existences here that I am deeply connected to, but some things might not be as simple as I imagined.”
She looked up, meeting the eyes of Hati and Miya respectively. “I will go with you to the Sacred Race; I promised that. But before that, I want to return to the Drago territory one more time to take a look.”
At the very least, the matter regarding Tepus was something she had caused herself. Since she had decided to go to the Sacred Race, she had to clean up the mess she had made and couldn’t let Drago be implicated for no reason.
“What? You still want to go back?!” Miya cried out in surprise.
She immediately turned her head. “Hati, I told you, she’s definitely still in league with that vampire.”
“I won’t actually meet with Sefina. I just want to see how Drago is doing,” Lin Shu added.
“On what grounds? Do you know how hard it was for us to rescue you? And now you want to go back?” Miya was so agitated she wanted to rush forward, but Hati pressed down on her shoulder.
Lin Shu lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry. I know this request sounds excessive, but it’s the last thing I want to do before leaving the land of the Demonic Race.”
Hati’s expression was serious, and she remained silent for a long time. Eventually, she scratched her hair and let out a long sigh. “Ah—”
“Alright, Lin Shu. Although I don’t know what history you have with that vampire…”
“Hati, you’re going to agree to her?” Miya asked in disbelief. “What if she takes the chance to run away?”
“We’ll go along too.”
“We’re going too?!”
“Of course. Weren’t you worried she’d run? We’ll just follow her to ensure her safety. Unless there’s an exceptional situation, we won’t act, and we won’t alert the enemy.”
“But Lin Shu, I have one condition.” Hati looked at Lin Shu seriously, her gaze falling on the center of the girl’s forehead. “Last time, you mentioned how a Familiar contract can be changed, right?”
“With the Familiar’s consent, the new Master initiates a contract application.”
Hati’s ears drooped slightly. “Well, I originally didn’t want to use the Familiar relationship to bind you. I hoped you would truly be my companion by choice. But, as you can see, Miya still doesn’t quite trust you. She is also my companion, and I hope you two can get along. It wouldn’t be good if you started fighting on the way back.”
Miya bit her lower lip and opened her mouth as if to argue, but ultimately said nothing.
“Because I also want to respect your wishes, we can agree to this.” Hati looked at Lin Shu again and flashed a smile. “So, after this matter is finished, form a contract with me. Completely end your connection with the vampire. That way, Miya can rest easy, and the people over at the Sacred Race won’t have any reason to argue. Once we return to the Sacred Race and settle down, I will release the contract for you immediately. I promise.”
“No, I still can’t agree,” Miya countered. “In reality, a contract can’t restrict her actions at all.”
Lin Shu thought for a moment and pulled the key out of her pocket. Holding the top of the key’s chain, she said, “In exchange, you can keep the key on you for now. I won’t run away.”
Miya’s expression changed instantly. She stared at the key and reached out to take it.
Hati beat her to it, taking the key and clutching it in her hand.
“Your mission is to find the key. Even if I run away, you can still complete your task when you go back.”
Lin Shu noticed that when the key fell into Hati’s hands, Miya’s expression softened for a brief moment.
“Fine, I’ll be watching you the whole time, so don’t try any tricks,” Miya added.
“Yes, I know.” Lin Shu’s heart grew subtly heavy.
“For convenience, let’s ride back. Walking is too slow,” Hati suggested as she carefully tucked the key away.
The three of them walked toward the residential clusters on the edge of town, stopping in front of a house with a stable.
“Miya, go and ask them. We need three horses.” Hati tossed the bag of bone coins to her.
Miya left to fulfill the order, leaving Lin Shu and Hati alone.
As Lin Shu waited quietly, she noticed that Hati seemed a bit uncomfortable, her drooping tail twitching restlessly. Recalling the way Hati had lost control in the cave last time, Lin Shu subconsciously moved a few steps away.
Hati scratched her cheek. “Miya used to deal with disturbances around the royal capital. This is only her second long-distance mission. As a captain, I might have been a bit too casual in my actions and didn’t take care of her feelings properly. I’m sorry.”
Lin Shu shook her head gently. “It’s alright. I understand.”
“In any case, you are both my companions. I don’t want any arguing or fighting.”
“Is that a captain’s duty?”
“Well… if I’m being honest, I haven’t really fulfilled a captain’s responsibilities during this trip to the Demonic Race.” Hati’s eyes dimmed for a split second, but she quickly cheered herself up. “Oh well, you only gain experience through going through it. At least this mission has taught me a lot.”
She changed the subject. “Speaking of which, Lin Shu, what was your life like among the Demonic Race?”
Lin Shu was slightly taken aback. In her memory, it seemed someone else had once cared enough to ask her that, but that memory was already very blurry.
“It’s a long story. Although it was hard to adapt, I at least survived…”
“Then when you have time in the future, will you tell me in detail? Oh, right, if you want to hear stories about my time in the Demon Hunter group, I’d be happy to share those with you too.”
“Okay.”
Hati paused, then turned her head to look at Lin Shu sincerely. “Lin Shu, this isn’t where humans belong. The stronghold for humans is with the Sacred Race. Perhaps you went through many hardships among the Demonic Race, but some things can be let go. You will meet better people and experience better things in the future.”
Lin Shu replied calmly, “I understand. I will follow my heart.”
Soon, Miya returned leading three horses. Before setting out, Miya took off the cross from her chest and placed it on a nearby rock. She clasped her hands in front of her chest and closed her eyes, praying devoutly.
“May the gods guide our path…”
Her voice was very soft. Lin Shu watched her in silence. Once she was finished, the three of them mounted their horses.
Lin Shu gripped the reins and took the lead. “Let’s go.”