As soon as Lin Shu and Hati returned to the village, everyone swarmed toward them.
The villagers were still shaken, clutching forks, knives, and longswords with tense expressions.
“Are you okay? Were you hurt?”
“We’re fine, we’re fine.”
Seeing that Lin Shu and Hati were unharmed, they all breathed a sigh of relief, but their gazes quickly shifted to Sophia, who was standing beside them.
“Wait, why did you bring someone back? Who is this?”
“This is Sophia. She claims she came from the Demon Territory and used to be a slave.”
“We found her in the distance after those monsters fled.”
“A slave… from the Demon Territory?” The village chief at the front looked Sophia up and down, eyeing her clothing.
“But those monsters were so close to the village. How could a girl like her…” one of the villagers questioned cautiously.
Under the weight of their suspicious gazes, Sophia trembled slightly. “I’m sorry. I know I look suspicious, but I would never harm you.”
“By all rights, the Holy Church’s protection hasn’t expired yet, has it? Otherwise, how could she enter the village?”
“But how could those monsters get so close to the village then?” someone countered.
Lin Shu also quietly observed Sophia’s reaction.
The red marks on her neck, wrists, and ankles did indeed look like they were left by shackles.
‘But why does something feel off?’
“Even though I haven’t found anything unusual about her and don’t sense any malice, her identity still needs to be verified,” Hati suggested of her own accord. “At the very least, I’ll take responsibility for watching her for now.”
With someone from the Holy Church acting as a guarantor, the worried expressions on the villagers’ faces softened slightly.
The group turned their discussion to the terrifying attack that had just occurred.
“Will those monsters come back?”
“We have to strengthen the guard at the village entrance tonight. We can’t let them launch a surprise attack.”
Hati stepped forward to soothe everyone’s emotions.
At the same time, Lin Shu stole a glance at Sophia.
She had been very quiet, standing on the outer edge of the crowd.
Sensing Lin Shu’s gaze, she looked back and slightly curled the corners of her mouth.
Lin Shu took the initiative to walk over.
Since she was suspicious, she might as well ask directly.
“What kind of demon were you a slave to before?”
“Do I really have to say?” Looking at Lin Shu’s searching eyes, Sophia hesitated. A blush crept onto her face, and she answered weakly, “…A Succubus.”
*Cough! Guh…* Lin Shu suddenly choked.
Being a slave under a Demonic Race associated with lust and temptation certainly couldn’t be a good thing.
Sophia lowered her eyes with a pitiful look, as if she were remembering something terrible.
Out of basic courtesy, Lin Shu didn’t press further.
Instead, Sophia spoke up. “You have a very special mark on your forehead. What is it?”
“It’s a contract mark. I stayed in the Demon Territory for a while before, too. Well… my identity is a bit complicated.”
Lin Shu intentionally spoke vaguely, keeping an eye on her reaction.
“Is that so? Then aren’t you just like me?”
Sophia’s eyes lit up as if she had found one of her own kind, and a relieved smile blossomed on her face.
“Speaking of which, you escaped. Will your mas—” Lin Shu was about to use that term but thought better of it and immediately changed her wording. “Will that demon come after you?”
“Even though this is a human stronghold, a high-ranking demon might not necessarily be held back.”
Sophia shook her head. “No. I escaped while she was asleep.”
“Besides, she always just treated me as a tool. She has as many consumables like me as she wants. Perhaps she would have just thrown me away whenever she was done with me anyway.”
A flash of loneliness crossed her eyes, as if she were falling into a sad memory.
Lin Shu’s heart skipped a beat.
‘Wait, why does that sound so familiar?’
‘Everything she’s saying sounds like my own lines.’
She had once thought the exact same thing about Sefina. Of course, that had all been her own misunderstanding.
Sophia suddenly took a half-step closer and whispered, “Were you the same?”
Lin Shu instinctively took a step back.
Sophia tilted her head slightly. “What’s wrong? You seem a bit afraid of me.”
It wasn’t actually fear, just a very strong sense of suspicion.
Recalling the red bat she had seen on the hillside that day, the bad premonition in Lin Shu’s heart grew stronger.
‘No way…’
‘I better keep observing her.’
Hati finished her conversation with the villagers and turned to take Lin Shu’s hand. “Let’s go, Lin Shu.” She then looked at Sophia. “You come with us too.”
Sophia stared at their joined hands in silence, then eventually nodded submissively.
Back at the small cottage, Hati sent a message to the Holy Church ahead of time, notifying them to dispatch reinforcements.
Hati explained the next steps to Lin Shu.
“The village chief officially asked for my help. Those monsters must be completely wiped out; we can’t let them threaten the village anymore.”
“Once the reinforcements from the Holy Church arrive tomorrow, we’ll head out immediately to find their nest.”
Lin Shu recalled the way the monsters had rioted and asked, “Hati, have you ever encountered monsters sensitive to magic before?”
“To be honest, I haven’t,” Hati said, shaking her head. “I thought those monsters were strange earlier, too. They looked like they were artificially stitched together.”
During Hati and Lin Shu’s conversation, Sophia quietly found a chair and sat down.
She placed her hands on her knees, her posture obedient yet somewhat dignified.
Hati grabbed a chair and pulled it over in front of her.
“Right, and you. Come, come, let’s have a good talk.”
Hati interrogated Sophia about her escape route and her experiences as a slave.
Sophia showed fear as she reminisced, but she managed to answer every question.
Lin Shu watched from the side but couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary.
‘Strange. The aura she unintentionally radiates doesn’t seem like that of a commoner.’
“We have a mission tomorrow, so let’s rest for tonight,” Hati paused the questioning.
Sophia looked into the bedroom and blinked. “It seems there aren’t enough beds?”
Lin Shu followed her gaze.
There were only two beds in the bedroom, which meant either two people had to squeeze into one bed, or one person had to sleep on the floor.
“Ugh…” Hati made a sound of displeasure.
This was supposed to be her private space with Lin Shu, and now another person had been added.
But she had to keep an eye on Sophia to prevent her from doing anything harmful to Lin Shu or the village.
“I’m sleeping with Lin Shu,” Hati said, taking the initiative. “Sophia, you sleep in the other bed.”
“Are you two always this close?” Sophia’s gaze flickered between Hati and Lin Shu.
“She is a very important person to me. I have to ensure her safety.”
“An important person?” Sophia’s eyes widened.
She raised a hand to cover her mouth, making a stereotypical expression of surprise. “Is… is it that kind of relationship I’m thinking of?”
Lin Shu was caught off guard.
‘This isn’t right. Why did the topic shift to our relationship?’
She immediately pulled the straying conversation back. “Stop, no need to say more. I’ll sleep on the floor.”
She had slept on the floor back at Tepus’s manor anyway.
“No!” the two of them shouted in unison.
“Then how about Hati sleeps with Sophia? That way it’s easier for you to watch her?”
“Huh?” Sophia’s eyes seemed to darken; she didn’t seem very pleased.
“I don’t want to. I want to be by Lin Shu’s side to keep you safe.”
Believe it or not, these two were actually quite in sync.
‘Sigh, rather than sleeping in the same bed as someone I don’t really know, Hati is better.’
Lin Shu also wanted to see how Sophia would react if she slept with Hati.
Mischief and curiosity won out over her sense of shame.
Lin Shu blinked, pretending to give it deep thought before turning her gaze to Hati.
“Then, Hati, let’s do as you first said and sleep together. Squeezing in should be fine.”
“Yay!” Hati’s eyes instantly sparkled, and her tail wagged wildly.
Sophia’s smile remained flawless. “You two really do have a good relationship.”
Lin Shu looked at her thoughtfully.
The house finally fell silent. After the only light source was blown out, darkness shrouded the entire bedroom.
Lying on the narrow bed, Lin Shu suddenly remembered what had happened in the cave back then. She warned Hati sternly, “Don’t do anything excessive again. Just sleep!”
“Yes, ma’am!” Hati answered crisply. She lay down obediently, only letting her tail rest gently against Lin Shu’s calf.
Lin Shu stole a glance at the neighboring bed. Sophia had already wrapped herself in the blanket and turned to the other side, seemingly uninterested in the activity on their end.
Sophia’s sitting posture and the way she tucked her hair behind her ear made Lin Shu think of Sefina for a moment.
That generous and elegant aura was completely inconsistent with the status she claimed.
‘A Succubus couldn’t possibly have some weird fetish for making a slave study etiquette, right?’
‘I hope I’m just overthinking it.’
Lin Shu’s mind was heavy with worry, leaving her unable to sleep. Fully awake, she could feel that Hati wasn’t asleep either.
“Lin Shu, what are you thinking about?” Hati asked in a whisper.
“Your scent is just like it is when you’re in a bad mood.”
A warm hand quietly reached out from under the blanket, cautiously touching the back of her hand. Then, her fingers skillfully slipped into the gaps between Lin Shu’s fingers, gently interlocking them.
“Don’t think too much. I’m right here.”
“Once the Holy Church arrives, you won’t have to be scared anymore.”
Hati shifted her head, moving closer to Lin Shu.
Lin Shu turned her head and could vaguely see Hati’s face right next to her. In the darkness, her eyes were like emeralds.
From the Demon Territory all the way to this place, whether it was in battle or in daily life, Hati had been the one taking care of her.
Even though she had an escort mission, Lin Shu could clearly feel Hati’s intense reliance on her.
It was as if she poured all her passion and focus solely onto her.
“Thank you,” Lin Shu whispered back.
Just then, the rustling sound of bedding came from the other bed.
Hati raised her head, looking across with alertness.
Lin Shu also turned her head. Through the darkness, she saw that Sophia had simply rolled over to face them, though her eyes remained tightly shut.
Her breathing was steady, as if she had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Lin Shu breathed a sigh of relief and forced herself to close her eyes, trying to drift off.
But on the other bed, Sophia—who was facing them—slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze pierced through the darkness, landing on Lin Shu’s face, and she stared for a very long time.