“Hey, wake up.” Sophia jostled Selim, who was slumped over her shoulder, and continued, “We’ve arrived at our destination. It’s your turn to take the stage.”
Hearing Sophia’s words, Selim opened her eyes. The blurry images gradually cleared, and what met her gaze was the gate of an ancient Estate.
She yawned, gave Sophia’s shoulder a gentle pat, then leaned on her again and said, “Come on, let’s go ‘collect a debt’.”
Sophia rolled her eyes and said, “Isn’t this your house? Who collects debts at their own home?”
“Heh, they owe me.”
“How inexplicable.”
Seeing Selim fall silent, Sophia had no choice but to head for the entrance. In no time, she was carrying Selim to the towering gate, twice as tall as a person.
The Guards stationed at the entrance noticed Sophia’s Demon Hunter attire and immediately became wary, gripping their sword hilts and barking sharply, “Halt!”
“Demon Hunter, this is Prince Charles Philip’s territory. Without His Highness’s permission, no one may enter.”
As if she had already foreseen this first encounter, Sophia wasn’t annoyed. She merely pointed to Selim on her back and said, “I have no interest in going inside. As long as you pay me what she owes, I’ll leave.”
The two Guards glanced at Selim, then exchanged looks. Finding no answer in each other’s eyes, they stepped forward together, completely blocking the entrance.
“By order of Prince Charles Philip, no one is allowed near the Estate during this period. Please leave.”
“Otherwise, we will regard this as an invasion, Demon Hunter.”
The tension was just right. At that moment, Selim sneakily pulled out a House Badge from her game backpack and tossed it in front of the two Guards.
A tulip emblem was engraved on the badge, just like the symbol on the Guards’ armor.
She spoke in a cold voice, “How dare you? Is this how you treat your master?”
“Think carefully—who is the true master of the Rhine Territory?”
The two soldiers stared at the badge on the ground, hesitating, yet they did not retreat.
One of them bowed and said, “Ladies, according to His Highness’s orders, I still cannot let you pass.”
“Please wait for the Steward to make a decision.”
With that, he intended to sheathe his sword and go report.
From the fact that neither of the Guards at the Estate gate took the true master of the Rhine Territory seriously, Selim had already learned the outcome of this little test.
The situation was worse than she’d imagined.
After all, power only truly exists when others believe you have it.
She couldn’t help but feel lucky she’d coaxed Sophia to come along. If she’d returned alone in her current state, she’d basically be dead on arrival.
“What’s this? Who dares cause trouble at the gate of Prince Charles Philip?” A middle-aged man’s deep voice sounded before the Guards could leave.
The Guards stopped and bowed their heads to a splendidly dressed middle-aged man. “Steward Eric Avila, two ladies bearing the family House Badge are waiting outside for payment, but Prince Charles Philip has forbidden anyone from entering or leaving the Estate. Please decide what to do.”
“The crest of the Rhine Territory? Could it be…” Steward Eric frowned and hurried to the gate in a few long strides.
In an instant, he saw Selim slumped on Sophia’s back.
Slightly surprised, he asked, “Is that Miss Selim? Why are you with a Demon Hunter?”
“Where is your Guard Captain?”
Hearing Eric’s question, Selim put on an icy expression and said, “We have His Highness Prince Charles to thank for that. Otherwise, I would’ve died perfectly at the hands of the Magic Wolves.”
“You’re disappointed I made it here alive, aren’t you?”
Noticing the sarcasm in her words, Eric could only force a smile and reply, “Miss Selim, you are blessed by the gods. Of course you can escape danger.”
“Please don’t blame Prince Charles Philip. His Highness truly couldn’t spare more men while dealing with the rising Supernatural Power threats in the Rhine Territory.”
“Your fiancé loves you deeply. Upon hearing you were returning, His Highness has been racing back to the Estate.”
He’s been bought out completely—a fine dog for that so-called Prince.
Selim sneered in her heart.
Her anger was all for show; she didn’t mind keeping up the act.
“So, I should thank him?”
Realizing he’d sided too much with Charles, Eric dropped the matter, cleared his throat, and shouted at the Guards, “What are you standing around for? Go notify the young lady she’s returned to the Estate!”
“But Prince Charles ordered—”
“Hm?” Steward Eric glared menacingly at the Guard.
“Yes, sir.” The Guard bowed, then hurried toward the depths of the Estate.
Eric now donned a kindly face, turning to Selim and Sophia. “Forgive me, ladies, my failure to instruct these servants led to them offending you.”
He extended his hands.
“Come, my lady. Let me take you home. As for the Demon Hunter’s payment, I’ll have someone take care of that shortly.”
Hearing about her payment, Sophia’s eyes lit up and she was about to hand Selim over.
Sensing Sophia’s intent, Selim felt her blood pressure spike and tightened her arms around Sophia’s neck.
She whispered in Sophia’s ear, “Miss Sophia, if you leave now, I guarantee you won’t get a single coin.”
“Hey? Why are you like this?”
Sophia was at her wits’ end. She just wanted to dump this burden and get her payment quickly.
From Selim’s quarrel with the Steward earlier, she could already tell this was a family dispute—getting involved would only mean trouble.
But the carrot dangling before her was too tempting. Sophia couldn’t let the duck in her mouth fly away, so she could only throw Eric a helpless look.
Steward Eric withdrew his hands, looking a little awkward, and chuckled, “My lady has grown up, it was presumptuous of me.”
He gestured in a direction.
“This way, miss, please.”
Following the Steward’s lead, Sophia brought Selim into a bedroom, gently laying her on the bed. Her eyes sparkled at the lavish decorations.
She’d struck it rich today—she had to take a good bite out of this windfall.
“Miss Selim, can we discuss my payment now?”
Before Selim could reply, Steward Eric immediately stepped forward and said, “You needn’t trouble yourself about the payment, my lady. I will handle it.”
“The most important thing now is for you to rest and recover.”
With that, Eric produced a bottle of potion radiating a faint purple glow and handed it to Selim.
“His Highness heard you were coming home, my lady, and found this special remedy just for you. Take it day and night and you’ll be as good as new.”
Selim certainly didn’t believe the man before her was so well-intentioned; she had her own way to identify the contents.
[Check item properties]
[Soul Lure Water (Blue): Increases focus, speeds up casting, slightly repairs soul damage. As a price, your will is easily swayed and mental resistance is lowered.]
As expected.
Too bad the plan is still a step short—Selim had two gifts. She might not excel in combat, but her talents regarding the soul were extraordinary.
One of them was called Pure Soul.
[Pure Soul (Purple): Your soul’s power has been refined and reforged, greatly increasing resistance to mental abilities. As a price, your body is somewhat impaired, but your soul can fetch a higher price.]
At this point, she might as well play along.
Selim took the potion from Eric’s hand.
“Then I must thank His Highness for his concern.”
She raised the vial and drank it all.
[Your focus increases, casting speed quickens, negative effects are negated.]
Eric watched Selim finish the entire potion and couldn’t hide a flash of joy on his face, but he quickly recovered and bowed. “In that case, my lady, I will leave you to rest and take this lady to receive her payment.”
Upon hearing she would finally get her payment, Sophia visibly brightened and was about to follow when a new voice sounded behind her.
“Miss Sophia, why the hurry? I promised you a personal gift as well, have you forgotten?”
Before Eric or Sophia could respond, Selim added, “Steward, go prepare the payment. I have some private matters to discuss with Miss Sophia.”
“But—”
“Aren’t you being a bit bothersome today, my Steward?”
“Yes, my lady. I’ll take my leave.”
Just as Eric was about to leave, he quietly used magic to transmit a message into Sophia’s ear.
“Demon Hunter, mind your place. You should have nothing to do with her.”
Sophia frowned slightly at these words, but said nothing. She didn’t plan to have further dealings with Selim after collecting her payment, but was now curious about this so-called personal gift.
“Over there, get me some paper and a pen. I promise you’ll never guess what this is.”
Sophia couldn’t help but feel that there was something else hidden in Selim’s smile.