Chapter 25: The Demon King ran away protecting someone

Just as Nuo Ai’er was eating away like a little hamster in the top-tier restaurant…

Meanwhile, Emilia knocked on the door of a guest room at the end of the hallway.

“Come in.” A clear, slightly hoarse female voice came from inside.

The door opened, and a young girl sat on the bed.

She had sharp golden short hair and deep emerald eyes, with two fluffy wolf ears standing upright on top of her head. She was draped in that iconic red hooded cloak.

It was Leinata, who had just arrived in the Inner World not long ago.

“Miss Leinata.” Emilia wore an elegant smile on her face.

“Is there something you need, Miss Emilia?” Leinata asked expressionlessly.

“Well, you see, I have a newbie player here who wants to have a one-on-one duel with you.”

Leinata lifted her head, her gaze calm as still water. “Is that so? I’ll do my best. It’s also a way to repay your kindness.”

Emilia: “Huh?”

“After all, I just arrived in this world and don’t know anyone. I have to thank Miss Emilia for providing me with shelter and food… But after this duel, I must leave.”

“Why?” Emilia asked.

“…Because there is someone I absolutely have to find. She must be waiting for me somewhere. I can’t stay here too long.”

“I have to find her, and then… I’ll never be separated from her again…”

Leinata clutched her chest, her tone heavy.

Emilia secretly lamented in her heart.

When investigating this player codenamed “Little Red,” she had learned that the girl’s track record was ridiculously dominant.

She had played three consecutive games, and whether it was PVP instances or PVE instances, she had won by overwhelming force.

This was a rare talent!

If she could pull her into her own faction, it would definitely be a tremendous asset.

“Actually, I can help you find who you’re looking for,” Emilia tried to keep her.

Open.

“No need.” Leinata refused without hesitation, “I don’t want to owe you too much.”

Neither of them realized that the person Leinata was looking for and the opponent she was about to duel were actually the same person.

Just then, the system panel in front of Leinata suddenly lit up, and a duel invitation tone sounded.

Emilia: Oh ho ho, looks like Anna has finished serving that little lady her meal~

“Good luck, Miss Leinata.”

“Rest assured.” Leinata said in a low voice, her eyes sharpening.

“I will win.”

With that, Leinata pressed the [Accept] button.

As a flash of white light passed, her body vanished from the room.

[Single Challenge Duel Instance Opened.]

[No points penalty or reward.]

[Scene: Misty Forest.]

[Objective: Use all conditions in the forest to defeat your opponent!]

When her vision returned, Leinata found herself in a dark, damp dense forest.

Home turf advantage.

Leinata couldn’t see how she could lose.

The girl in the red hood didn’t hesitate for a moment. She drew a sharp knife from her waist and charged forward like lightning.

She could already see her opponent—a petite figure.

She planned to end it quickly, finishing the battle in the fastest time, and then hurry off to find Nuo Ai’er.

…The opponent seemed to be standing still, probably not good at combat.

“I win.”

Leinata declared victory.

The next second, just as her blade was about to touch the opponent—she saw the face clearly.

That snow-white hair, those panicked red pupils, and that small body so familiar it was etched into her bones…

Clang!

The knife slipped from her hand and fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

The opponent also saw her.

“Huh? Leinata?” Nuo Ai’er rubbed her eyes, thinking she might be hallucinating from being too full.

Across from her, Leinata was completely frozen in place.

Nuo Ai’er: “The newbie player dueling me is you???”

Nuo Ai’er was a bit dumbfounded.

Leinata stared at the white-haired loli before her, her pupils shaking violently, her breathing rapid and disordered.

Thousands of words stuck in her throat; she couldn’t say anything.

She wanted to cry but couldn’t make a sound. Finally, she tremblingly reached out, carefully grasped Nuo Ai’er’s cold little hand, and held on tight, afraid to let go.

As if if she let go, the person before her would disappear again…

***

On the open rooftop terrace of the villa, a gentle breeze blew.

“Mm-hmm~♪”

Emilia was comfortably lounging on a deck chair, humming a tune, holding a cup of warm milk tea, a confident smile on her lips as she quietly waited for the good news of Leinata’s triumphant return.

In just a few minutes, the pink-haired maid Anna walked over awkwardly, her steps hesitant.

“How was it? Did she win?” Emilia took a sip of tea casually. “So fast. I knew Miss Leinata’s strength was absolutely reliable.”

“Then now, it’s time to arrange a room for Nuo Ai’er. There’s a lot of paperwork to handle for her joining us,” Emilia said.

“Um… Miss Emilia,” Anna said quietly, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s, “Miss Leinata lost.”

“Pfft—!?”

Emilia spat out the milk tea she had just sipped, her eyes wide with shock.

“Lost that quickly? How could that be… Wait, no! How could she lose? She was the newbie monster who won all three games!”

“Miss Leinata surrendered on her own,” Anna said.

“Surrendered on her own???” Emilia was bewildered.

Anna swallowed hard and reluctantly delivered the final blow: “And after surrendering… she left together with Miss Nuo Ai’er.”

Emilia: (O_O)

Emilia sat dazedly on the deck chair, her mind blank.

The tea cup in her hand fell with a “clatter” and shattered on the ground.

What does this mean?