“Hero, we’re closed for the day. If there’s nothing else, please leave.”
Sword Saint Manor Back Alley.
Yelena stood in the wind, her veil covering her entire face. Under the setting sun, a pair of bright fox eyes could still be faintly seen.
The order to leave had been given. Kate seemed somewhat indignant.
“All you Sword Saint Manor people are this unreasonable…”
Aisha signaled for Kate to stop, but she didn’t back down.
Her platinum-blonde hair fluttered in the wind, and her icy blue eyes fixed on Yelena.
“Miss Fox, do you know Ye Lian?”
Hearing that name, Yelena’s fingers curled slightly inside her long sleeves.
Just that one moment. She didn’t want Aisha to become suspicious.
‘They kicked me out so readily back then, and now they come asking about me? Who knows if they actually care or if it’s just another act.’
“Hero, this humble one does not know him.”
Her voice was soft, but her tone carried certainty.
Yvette impatiently cut into the conversation, frowning as she said, “Is it polite to ask a cook about a male adventurer she’s never met?”
As she spoke, Yvette glanced at Aisha, seeing the slight disappointment in her eyes. A strange sense of satisfaction rose within her.
[Ding, Yvette Affection Points +10. Current Affection Points: 70]
“Don’t tell me you’re scheming something. You sent your own party’s cook away, and now you come here trying to poach mine?”
Yvette’s tone was taunting at first, but then she immediately released Sword Qi, shielding Yelena.
She kept her gaze on Aisha and her party, her aura domineering, and her smile both arrogant and infuriating.
“It’s not like that, Yvette. I respect your strength, but please don’t keep challenging the Hero’s bottom line.”
“So what? I haven’t forgotten my uncle’s grudge. Want me to snatch your Holy Sword right now?!”
In an instant, the atmosphere became tense.
Perhaps it was because Aisha cared too much about Ye Lian, and Yvette kept using him as a topic, that Aisha grew irritated.
It was Yvette’s nature. Her strange temper, in this situation, was like fuel to the fire.
Now, someone needed to step in and stop them, to put an end to this fierce clash of ice and fire magic.
At that moment, Sylvia took half a step forward and said gently, “Big sister Aisha, maybe it’s just a misunderstanding. This Miss Fox’s cooking skills are simply too exquisite, reminding us of some past events.”
Yelena glanced at her.
Sylvia was still as gentle as ever.
Her white priest’s robe was as clean as holy light, and her voice was as soft as a goddess’s caress.
She was playing the role of peacemaker again. Yelena was now somewhat convinced that the idea to expel her had been a joint plan between Aisha and Kate.
Back in the Hero’s Party, she had been the same.
Perhaps now, the only person she truly cared about there was Sylvia.
But Yelena also knew that returning was impossible.
Afterward, thanks to Sylvia’s active persuasion, the other two members of the Hero’s Party calmed down.
While the Sword Saint Manor servants helped clean up the stall, Yvette deliberately wrapped her arm around Yelena’s slender waist, asserting her ownership where Aisha could see.
Then the scene of Yelena and Yvette playfully shoving each other caught Aisha’s eye.
Aisha kept glancing back at the two, an indescribable feeling in her heart.
That feeling was like a tiny hook, catching at the unease deep within her.
…
…
Later, Aisha went to the Mercenary Street Tavern and found the owner, Martha.
“Boss, can I ask you about someone?”
She sat at the tavern counter, her voice low, in front of a glass of cheap champagne.
The tavern owner Martha was wiping glasses.
She wasn’t young, with laugh lines at the corners of her eyes. As soon as Aisha entered and noticed the regulars falling silent, she knew the young girl’s identity.
Hearing Aisha’s question, Martha looked up with a shrewd smile.
“Which person is the Hero asking about?”
“Boss, it’s the veiled cook who worked at your tavern a few days ago. Do you know her name?”
Martha’s eyes shifted.
A Hero politely asking about a cook—that was a rare thing.
Especially since that person now lived in the Sword Saint Manor. This gossip could fetch at least three glasses of ale if sold to the mercenaries.
But the person standing before her was the Hero, Aisha Parisio.
The folk of Mercenary Street loved money, but they weren’t suicidal.
Martha dropped her playful tone and lowered her voice.
“She calls herself Yelena. And some curious folks saw it that night—the girl had nine inky fox tail phantoms behind her.”
Yelena… Nine tails…
Hearing her name, Aisha’s eyelashes trembled slightly. She didn’t know why, but it felt like something was squeezing her chest.
Her breath stopped for half a beat, and her mind raced.
The Nine-tailed Fox Clan were no ordinary beastmen.
They were a legendary high-level fox clan, their bloodline extremely noble.
Some said nine-tailed foxes were born with Charm, able to seduce kings with song and steal souls with Secret Arts.
Others said they could manipulate people’s emotions, and at their peak, they had built their own kingdom in the Eastern Mountains.
But later, the Moon Tail Fox Kingdom fell, and the Nine-tailed Fox Clan almost vanished from sight…
Aisha thought of Ye Lian.
That fox-tribe boy who had worked tirelessly in the party.
His ears and tail often got dusty from work. Kate had bathed him in his fox form once, and he only had one tail.
Impossible.
Ye Lian couldn’t be of the Nine-tailed Fox Clan.
But when she saw the veiled fox cook preparing food earlier, she used her left hand to cut vegetables, just like Ye Lian.
Her stirring, adding ingredients, and serving movements were also identical to his.
Whatever. Aisha didn’t dwell on it.
After thanking the tavern owner and leaving a few silver coins, she returned to her lodging, the Gray Whale Inn.
After sharing her speculation with the other two girls in the party, Kate, who had read many books, followed Aisha’s train of thought.
“The Nine-tailed Fox Clan is actually the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox clan. The Nine-tailed Black Fox is the royal family. Books record that they are skilled in Illusion Disguise…”
Seeing Kate pause mid-thought, deep in contemplation, Sylvia softly asked, “Kate, did you think of something?”
“No. It still feels wrong to consider Ye Lian and that cook the same person. Besides, Ye Lian never used magic in front of us. There’s no reason for him to hide his strength all along…”
Aisha continued, “Maybe we can try our luck at the back gate of Sword Saint Manor later. I feel like we might learn Ye Lian’s whereabouts from Miss Fox.”
Kate pushed up her glasses, rubbed her chin, and looked at Aisha with suspicion.
“Lately, it feels like Aisha, you’ve been sneaking around investigating Ye Lian’s whereabouts. What’s up? So hard to guess~”
On this topic, Sylvia pouted and blurted out, “Big sister Aisha wants to steal a march.”
Kate’s mouth twitched as she continued, “You… So what about our recent subjugation quests?”
Aisha, seeing the girls’ relentless questioning, knew she couldn’t avoid it any longer. She steered the conversation.
“Mm… Right. We’ll rest for two days, then check the Adventurer’s Guild for a subjugation quest. The Demon Race has been quiet lately. That’s suspicious.”