Dolosa keenly noticed the look the girl had just sent her way.
The girl appeared to be in her early twenties, her clothes relatively clean, with no signs of having been bullied.
Yet Dolosa’s heart tightened instantly, and she hurried forward, determined to stop the two Green Robed Sacerdotes from causing trouble.
She cursed inwardly.
“Damn it, those two bastards—why do they have to bite everyone they see? She looks to be about twenty, so she should be within the adoption range, right…? No! Absolutely can’t let Liang Lai feel any more sympathy!”
Thinking this, Dolosa quickly ran up to the two Green Robed Sacerdotes and spread her arms wide, forming a “big” shape with her body.
But before she could even open her mouth to scold them, the two priests grumbled and turned to leave.
In truth, the two priests hadn’t intended to give that girl any real trouble.
They had just been venting frustration from an earlier grievance, randomly kicking out once.
When Dolosa appeared, they chickened out—not because they feared this kid, but because they were wary of the Third Saintess still being nearby.
Watching the two priests flee in defeat, Dolosa finally let out a breath of relief.
“Phew~”
Now, Liang Lai shouldn’t be able to develop any more intentions of adopting that Woodcarved Girl, right?
Dolosa scrutinized the Woodcarved Girl carefully and found her appearance unremarkable, her figure plain, and her carving clumsy without any standout skill… It seemed even if Liang Lai took her home, she wouldn’t pose any threat.
Reassured by this thought, Dolosa relaxed considerably.
Liang Lai had originally planned to step forward and stop the two priests herself but didn’t expect Dolosa to rush ahead first.
Seeing that the priests hadn’t troubled either Dolosa or the Woodcarved Girl, she slowed her pace and gave Dolosa a thumbs-up with a smile.
Dolosa’s lips curled up slightly but didn’t show any joy, wary of coming off as smug and annoying.
At this moment, she also noticed Liang Lai’s eyes—they weren’t focused on the Woodcarved Girl but rather scanning the surrounding environment, so Dolosa’s earlier worries were completely put to rest.
However, no one noticed that the Old Man Selling Honey, trembling as he finished packing up his stall, clutched a silver coin and retreated into a dark corner.
His body rapidly deflated like a punctured balloon until it became nothing more than a slack skin slumped on the ground.
A black shadow slipped out from the shriveled husk, forming a line as it streaked straight toward the nearby Clock Tower.
“Tsk.”
Atop the Clock Tower sat a blonde girl, her slender legs dangling gently over the eaves.
The morning breeze brushed against her porcelain-white cheeks, stirring a few soft strands of hair.
She furrowed her brows slightly, a trace of displeasure flickering in her fully white, pupil-less eyes.
Her lips were a faint pink, lightly pressed together.
Were it not for the strange chill in her gaze, anyone would think she was an innocent girl untouched by the world.
She lifted her hand to tuck the windswept hair behind her ear, a simple motion that looked exceptionally graceful.
Sunlight bathed her form, casting a pale golden halo over her silhouette, yet it could not penetrate those hollow eyes.
“Today’s really unlucky—ran into busybodies again!”
She muttered.
“I was planning to have those two Green Robed Sacerdotes drag me into an alley to beat me up, then I’d take advantage of the chaos, kill them, and possess their bodies! That way I could infiltrate the Church openly! But now, thanks to that Saintess, everything’s messed up! Finding new Dustfolk skins is going to take ages!”
She grumbled in frustration. Behind her, a voice spoke.
“Dear Motifiel, if you stopped hunting the recently dead and started killing a few Dustfolk instead, you wouldn’t have to search so long~ Your mission would finish sooner too~”
It was a mocking voice, tinged with schadenfreude.
Motifiel glanced back.
A black-haired woman leaned lazily against a stone pillar of the Clock Tower, her long legs crossed.
Her arms were folded across her chest, pressing her ample breasts into a tempting curve.
Her jet-black hair fell to her waist, the ends swaying gently with the breeze.
She tilted her head slightly, ruby eyes glinting with playful amusement.
Her delicate, porcelain-like face appeared barely in her early twenties but carried a maturity beyond her years.
A faint, ambiguous smile played at her lips, making the teardrop mole beneath her right eye come alive.
“Well?” she said in a lazy, husky voice. “Was I wrong?”
Motifiel sneered coldly. “Heh, I think you’re no better, Villeres. You’re also pitifully hunting so-called ‘sinners’ to kill and possess their skins, aren’t you?”
Villeres relaxed her crossed arms and shrugged.
“Doesn’t matter what you say~”
“Is it that it doesn’t matter, or have I hit a sore spot?” Motifiel sneered again.
“Don’t forget, we’re Darkspawn. There’s no need to pity humans, especially those Dustfolk blindly worshiping the Church.”
Villeres tilted her head and asked a fatal question.
“You’re so good at teaching me, but tell me—why can’t you just kill Dustfolk at will? Is it because you think they’re innocent?”
Motifiel seemed stumped.
She widened her pupil-less eyes and stayed silent for a long moment before turning away resentfully.
She decided not to engage with the woman behind her anymore and fixed her gaze on Liang Lai and the others in the distance.
“You think she’s interesting too?”
Villeres took the initiative to scoot closer and sat beside Motifiel, her long legs dangling outside the tower, swaying slightly—about half a foot longer than Motifiel’s.
Fortunately, Motifiel didn’t notice the difference; had she done so, she would have lost her temper again.
Her attention was fully captured by Liang Lai and her group, turning her head in their direction.
“Yeah, I’ve never seen such a zealous Church member before. I suspect she’s been possessed by a Darkspawn… Well, no, that shouldn’t be—it’s not like those Darkspawn are that kind-hearted.”
By now, Liang Lai and the others had moved deeper into the Dustfolk District.
Once their figures disappeared completely, the Woodcarved Girl melted into a pile of skins in a narrow alley, and a black shadow flew back into Motifiel’s body.
“Looks like those two recently dead bodies you worked so hard to find were useless~” Villeres commented from the side, unconcerned.
After all, if the skin wasn’t killed by a Darkspawn personally, it could only last a month at most.
Motifiel irritably scratched her hair. “I know! You don’t have to tell me.”
Villeres propped her chin in her hand, staring toward the direction where Liang Lai and the others had vanished.
“Do you think we have a chance to strike at that overly zealous Saintess…?”
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