Chapter 84: A Heart-to-Heart

After sending Sefina away, Lin Shu and Hati took advantage of the darkness to leave Drago’s territory.

Because their mobility was limited, Hati offered to carry Lin Shu on her back.

“Hati, do you know the way?” Lin Shu peeked out, looking at the road ahead.

“Yeah, leave it to me.”

The wind blew against them as they ran, fluttering their hair. Even after just finishing a battle and running for a while with someone on her back, Hati’s breathing remained calm.

‘Her stamina is truly incredible. Is this a characteristic of the Wolf Tribe?’

After crossing countless stretches of wilderness, they finally stumbled upon an abandoned wooden cabin in the wild.

After confirming there were no pursuers behind them, Hati set Lin Shu down. “I’ll go check the surroundings. We might be able to rest here for a bit and continue at dawn.”

The cabin had been abandoned for a long time. The interior was covered in thick dust and spiderwebs, and old, tattered clothes hung on the walls. It seemed to have once been a resting point for hunters.

*Ah-choo!*

As soon as she entered the room, Hati was choked by the dust and let out a giant sneeze. The loud commotion shook even more dust down from the ceiling.

Hati rubbed her nose and found an old brazier inside the house. She went outside to gather a few dry branches and started a fire.

There were no other usable supplies in the cabin, so Lin Shu and Hati simply tidied up the room, clearing a small space where they could sit and lie down.

“I’ll go keep watch outside first; you rest for a bit.” Without waiting for Lin Shu’s response, Hati pushed the door open and left.

The wooden door closed with a creak, and silence returned to the room.

Lin Shu’s gaze drifted toward the window, but the glass was covered in a layer of dust, making it impossible to see the outside world.

From the moment they said goodbye to Sefina and began their escape, Hati had become very quiet, far unlike how talkative she had been when they escaped from Tepus. Her tail didn’t wag much anymore either, remaining in a low, drooping state.

‘Is she thinking about Miya?’

Lin Shu couldn’t help but recall Miya’s frenzied appearance in her final moments.

‘I should talk to her later.’

After resting for a moment and gathering her thoughts, Lin Shu pushed the door open and stepped out.

However, Hati was nowhere to be seen. In the empty wilderness, only the faint chirping of insects could be heard.

“Hey—” Hati’s call came from above and behind her.

Lin Shu turned around.

Hati was sitting on the sloping roof of the wooden cabin, her hands propped behind her in a relaxed posture.

“Can’t sleep? Do you want to come up and look at the stars with me for a while?” She braced her body and moved closer to the edge of the roof.

Lin Shu walked to the edge of the roof as well.

Hati leaned down, reached out her hand, and pulled her up onto the roof in one motion.

The two sat side by side, looking up at the dark blue sky above their heads.

Lin Shu broke the silence. “Hati, are you sad about Miya’s death?”

The last teammate of the squad was dead; what would she, as the captain, be thinking?

Hati didn’t turn her head, and she didn’t respond for a long time.

After a good while, Hati said, “Miya’s state was already out of control back then. She threatened you. If the Vampire hadn’t acted, I think I would have too. I couldn’t allow her to hurt you.”

“Ah—though I’m still a bit sad. We were a complete team when we set out. I thought I could at least bring one teammate back.”

“Am I perhaps not suited to be a captain? Maybe I should just go back, resign, and become a gourmet instead.”

As Hati spoke, she poured some dried meat from her pack. After handing a piece to Lin Shu, she took a large bite herself, chewing vigorously as if she were competing with something.

“Hati, then why are you in the Sacred Race and why did you join the Demon Hunting Squad?” Lin Shu asked curiously. “Is your hometown in the Beast Continent?”

She remembered that the Beast Tribe also had their own territory, though the area was much smaller than those of the Demonic Race and the Sacred Race.

“Because of my parents,” Hati answered without hesitation. “They didn’t like the atmosphere back home. Instead, they felt the Sacred Race was a symbol of holiness and order. It took them half their lives to squeeze into the Sacred Kingdom.”

“That’s why I was brought to the Sacred Race, and under my parents’ persuasion, I joined the Holy Church.”

“But the original position was too boring. Chanting, praying, and copying books every day… the day would just end like that.” Hati took another bite of jerky. Recalling that period seemed to make her quite resentful.

“So later, I went to participate in the selection for the Demon Hunting Squad and passed by accident. Because I can run around everywhere and use my own strength during missions, I grew to like hunting.”

“I also firmly believed in the squad’s dogmas, thinking that the Demonic Race was a symbol of evil that would prey on the weak and disturb the peace.”

Hati’s speaking speed slowed down.

“But this time, I discovered that my teammate would harm a human who should have been protected because of hatred and prejudice, while there are beings within the Demonic Race who are kind to humans…”

She looked at Lin Shu, her emerald eyes filled with confusion and doubt.

“Originally, I hated that Vampire and wanted to kill her.”

“But hearing you call out to me, seeing the look in your eyes when you looked at her, and even seeing you hug her… if I really killed her, you would be very sad, wouldn’t you, Lin Shu?”

“I was conflicted in that moment. Moreover, seeing what you did for her gave me a very strange feeling in my heart.”

Hati let out a long sigh.

“I just feel empty, and a bit stifled. With all this fighting and killing, what is actually right?”

She leaned straight back, lying down on the sloping roof while staring at the sky.

“Hati, you saved me,” Lin Shu reminded her. “You must have saved many people as well. Your fighting definitely has meaning.”

“Actually, I had a deep misunderstanding of Sefina. I believed what others said and didn’t look closer at the facts.”

“Only after seeing her again and seeing her reaction did I realize that everything I once believed was false.”

Thinking back, Lin Shu felt how impulsive she had been.

“If I were a bit stronger, I would have the ability to verify the truth more often.”

“So, it might be just like the confusion you feel, Hati. When you’re uncertain, just keep moving forward, experiencing things, and fighting. Then use your experience and intuition to judge.”

“Your intention and instinct to protect are not wrong. And they are also very precious.”

Hati was stunned for a moment, her ears perking up bit by bit. She suddenly bounded up.

“My intuition was right after all. I’m so happy I got to know you, Lin Shu!”

Her tail began to wag, a sight she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Even though the process was a mess, meeting you is a good thing.”

She leaned in a bit closer. “Since that Vampire can make you hug her of your own accord and make you care so much, I can’t lose either!”

“I also want to be someone Lin Shu hugs of her own accord! I want to be someone Lin Shu cares about too!”

Lin Shu was stunned by her sudden childish declaration and couldn’t help but criticize, “What kind of strange standard is that…?”

“Don’t worry about it; it’s my own standard!”

“Ah, right.” Hati suddenly seemed to remember something and tilted her head to ask, “After changing the Familiar contract, do you feel any discomfort, Lin Shu?”