The ice cave was silent, so quiet that even the sound of a needle dropping to the ground could be heard.
Even though it had been over three years since they last met, Vyea hadn’t forgotten those days spent together during the time of the Brave.
Seeing Aoluola kneeling in front of her like a resigned duck, head drooped in defeat, Vyea felt a bit softhearted.
“I lost… I admit it, I’ve killed people, I’ve colluded with Demons, I admit to all of it. I know you’re the Partner of Justice who traveled with the Brave, even if you want to kill me to answer to those Officials and Nobles who died by my hand, I accept it. I wasn’t as skilled, there’s nothing to say about that. But as long as you don’t let my Sister know about any of this, that’s all I ask. You said you know my Sister, then you must know her character too… She’s not like me, she’s just an ordinary countryside Human girl, she’s never killed anyone, none of this has anything to do with her, so don’t let her know.”
Aoluola touched her forehead lightly to the cold ground, looking nothing like her previous arrogant self, as if she were a different person.
It was clear how highly she valued her Sister in her heart.
“Now you think about these things? Where was that consideration before?”
Vyea toyed with the white pearl in her hand, glancing sideways as she said, “Wouldn’t it be better for you and your Sister to just live your lives well together than anything else?”
“…Ha.”
Aoluola let out a bitter laugh, her voice soft. “I have my own reasons. Maybe you’ve never heard the saying, ‘In the Jianghu, people are never truly free; wherever there are people, there is the Jianghu.’ I too have reasons that force my hand.”
“Oh? So these reasons that bind you are more important than your Sister?” Vyea raised an eyebrow.
“You wouldn’t understand.” Aoluola closed her eyes, refusing to answer further.
Vyea paused for a moment, then continued, “Since you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask more. Let’s change the subject. What was your actual goal this time? Why did you target the Starlight Lily of the Valley?”
“Target? Hmmhmm… So that’s how you see it?”
Aoluola lifted her head and looked up at Vyea standing high above, suddenly laughing.
“This isn’t targeting, it’s a hunt. Like lions hunting deer, they will never let the Starlight Lily of the Valley sail out of these waters intact.”
Vyea frowned, her lovely brows drawing together.
This was the second time she’d heard the word ‘they’—the last was from the Mirage Demon, but that Mirage Demon hadn’t been intelligent enough to explain clearly.
How had the World changed so much in just three short years? Changed so much that Vyea felt as if it had been not three, but ten years.
After collecting her thoughts, Vyea continued her questioning:
“So, who are the ‘they’ you’re talking about?”
“Hmph, so you don’t know everything after all.” Aoluola smiled, and said, “They are a group that wants to overthrow the current Human Alliance, and Demons who want to reunite the Demon Race.”
“The World is such a wonder. Clearly, two lines that should never intersect can cross at a certain moment. Just like my own life—in the first half, I was like you, a little lackey of justice, never hesitating to kill Demons. But now, I can cooperate with Demons, even help them.”
Vyea shook her head. “You didn’t show any mercy when you ambushed me just now either.”
Aoluola didn’t care, looking at Vyea with mockery. “Heh, humans always make the same mistakes. They’ve never truly understood intelligent Demons, yet they like to imagine that Wisdom Creation Demons are similar to themselves.”
“Oh?” Vyea narrowed her eyes. “So you understand Demons very well?”
“You could say that.”
For some reason, Aoluola was suddenly filled with fighting spirit, her tone resentful.
“Whether it’s Demons that have gained wisdom or those that haven’t, survival of the fittest, the exchange and worship of strength—these are things etched deep into their very bones!”